COQ AU VIN

1 bottle red wine
Few sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Few sprigs parsley
1 medium sized chicken, jointed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 ounces streaky bacon, cut into strips or lardons
2 onions, chopped
Flour
1 glass of brandy
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, halved
20 pearl onions
2 ounces butter
2 teaspoons sugar
Beurre manie, made with 1 teaspoon flour and butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Bring the red wine to a boil with thyme and parsley and bay leaves, then leave to cool for 1 hour. Pour the wine over the jointed chicken and marinate 12 hours.

Fry the bacon and remove with a slotted spoon. Add the oil to the pan and fry the onions until softened. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Dust the chicken with flour then add to pan and fry lightly to brown. Pour in the warmed brandy and flambe it. Transfer chicken and liquid to a casserole and add bacon, marinate, garlic and mushrooms. Cover and cook in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for about 1 hour.

In the meantime, fry the pearl onions in butter with the sugar and a little water until glazed. Add to the casserole and cook for a further 30 minutes. If the sauce needs thickening, stir in a few small knobs of buerre manie. Remove casserole from the oven and sprinkle the chopped parsley over before serving.