France~Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin
This legendary recipe is another that suits a cold winter’s
evening. It is traditionally made using red wine from the
Burgundy region of France. Burgundy produces some of
the finest wines in the world, but they come at a price, usually
a high one. If you are on a budget use a robust wine from a
cheaper region. It doesn’t really matter where you get your
coq from.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 oz (50 g) butter
3 lb (1.5 kg) chicken, jointed
POULTRY
128
MAN ABOUT THE KITCHEN
10 shallots
1 tbsp flour
8 oz (225 g) small mushrooms
4 oz (100 g) streaky bacon, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ pint (300 ml) red wine
3 tbsp brandy
¼ pint (150 ml) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper
For the beurre manie:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour


Melt the butter in a large casserole dish, then fry the
chicken pieces for 5 minutes. Remove from the dish
and set aside. Fry the onions, mushrooms, garlic and
bacon for 5 minutes, then add the chicken pieces. Pour
over the brandy and set alight. Pour in the red wine and
stock, and add the bay leaf and seasoning, then bring to
the boil. Simmer for about 2 hours. Whilst the chicken
is simmering prepare the beurre manie by mixing the
flour and the butter together to form a soft paste. Add
the beurre manie to the chicken in small pieces, stirring
constantly. Remove the bay leaf before serving and
garnish with the parsley.