Coq au Vin Serves 4

Remove bacon rind and cut bacon into sticks 1″ x 1/4″. Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 qts of cold water , drain, rinse in cold water, and dry. Sauté slowly in flameproof casserole with oil. When very lightly browned, remove, leaving fat. Season chicken. Brown in fat and 1Tbutter. Return bacon to pan, cover pan and cook slowly for 10 min, turning once. Warm brandy, ignite and pour over. Add wine and just enough stock to cover chicken. Stir in tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Bring to simmer, comer and simmer slowly for 30 min or until chicken is tender. While chicken is cooking, drop onions into boiling water, bring back to a boil and let boil 1 min. Drain, shave off both ends of onions, peel carefully, and pierce a deep cross in the root end with a small knife (to keep onions whole during cooking. Heat 1-2 T cooing oil in frying pan, add onions and toss for several min until lightly browned (patchy). Add water to halfway up onions and pinch salt. Cover and simmer slowly for 25-30 min unti tender. Trim base of mushrooms, remove caps from stems and clean. Cut caps into quarters, stems into bias chunks. Heat 1 T butter and 1/2 T oil in frying pan; when bubbling hot, toss in mushrooms and sauté over high heat 4-5 min until lightly browned. Drain out cooking liquid into a saucepan. Skim off fat and boil down liquid to 2.25 c. Remove from heat. Blend 2-3 T flour w 2 T softened butter and whisk into cooking liquid. Simmer, stirring a minute or two until the sauce has thickened. Scrape onions and mushrooms into sauce and simmer to blend flavors a minute or so. Pour sauce over chicken. It is now ready for reheating, but can be set aside until cool, then covered and refrigerated for a day or two.) Shortly before serving, bring to a simmer and simmer 4-5 min until heated through (do not overcook). Accompany w parsley potatoes.

Chicken 3.5lb
Bacon Fat 1T
Butter 2T.
Garlic 2 cloves, minced
Shallot 0.25c minced
Brandy 0.25c
Onion 12-24
Mushrooms 0.5lb sliced
Thyme 0.25tsp
Bay Leaves 2
Parsley
Celery 2 tops
Flour 2-3 T
Stock 1c beef
Wine, Red 3c
Potato baby red
Onion small
Carrots baby
Bacon3-4 oz chunk
Vegetable oil 4T
Tomato Paste1 T