Coq au vin

A recipe from France: The Cookbook

Preparation: 25 minutes, plus chilling time

Cooking: 1 hour

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil

90 g (3¼oz) (scant ½ cup) butter

a 1.5kg (3¼lb) capon or chicken, cut into pieces

30 g (1¼oz) onion, chopped

40 g (1½oz) (13 cup) flour

50 ml (2 fl oz) (¼ cup) Cognac

500 ml (18fl oz) (generous 2 cups) red Burgundy wine

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

185 g (6½oz) button mushrooms

100 g (3½oz) button onions or shallots

100 g (3½oz) smoked bacon, diced

Method:

Prepare the day before serving.

Heat the oil and 50g (1¾oz) of the butter in a heavy-based pan, add the capon or chicken pieces and the onion and cook over a medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with the flour and continue to cook, stirring.

Remove from the heat, pour in the Cognac and simmer vigorously to evaporate the alcohol. Pour in the wine, season with salt and pepper and add the garlic. Cook for 1 hour.

Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator until the next day.

The next day, reheat slowly over a low heat.

Shortly before serving, divide the remaining butter between 2 frying pans. Add the mushrooms to one and the button onions or shallots and bacon to the other.

Cook until the mushrooms are softened and the onions or shallots and bacon are browned. Add the bacon, onions or shallots and mushrooms to the capon or chicken.