1 bottle good-quality red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
1 small onion
chopped
2 sticks celery
chopped
1 carrot
chopped
4 garlic cloves
un-peeled
bruised
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
4 large chicken joints (thigh or leg)
skinned
1 tbsp olive oil
plus extra for shallow frying
100g/3½oz smoked pancetta
rind removed
cut into large cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp plain flour
25g/1oz butter
20 button onions
peeled
20 button mushrooms
3 tbsp cognac
olive oil
for shallow frying
4 thick slices of good-quality white bread
crusts removed
cut into triangles
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
boiled or steamed potatoes
to serve
Directions
Place the marinade ingredients into a casserole dish and bring to the boil. Allow the volume of liquid to reduce by one-third and strain into a clean
non-reactive bowl and set aside to cool. Place the chicken pieces into the marinade
cover and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 5-6 hours or
preferably
overnight.
Warm the olive oil in the casserole dish and gently fry the pancetta until golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Remove the chicken joints from the marinade
setting the liquid aside. Season the chicken joints with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge the joints in the flour
and then fry until golden-brown in a little olive oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the butter to the dish and place the onions and mushrooms into the casserole and fry gently for 10 minutes
or until golden-brown. Remove any excess fat with a spoon and return the chicken and bacon to the pot
turn up the heat and pour over the cognac. Set alight
allow the flames to die down and then add the reserved
reduced wine. Gently simmer for one hour. (Alternatively
cook the casserole in an oven preheated to 170C/325F/Gas 3.)
Heat 2.5cm/1in depth of vegetable oil in a heavy-based frying pan. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Shallow fry the bread triangles for 2-3 minutes on each side
or until golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon. Finally
dip one edge of the fried bread into the hot coq au vin sauce
then into the parsley.
Serve the coq au vin with simply boiled or steamed potatoes and with the bread triangles.
