There's no hiding the opulence of this French classic, packing in the flavour. It takes a while, costs about £15 and will feed 6, but its worth every minute for the result. A great dinner party dish or for a special occasion. Also its quite difficult to get really wrong.
A couple of hours before you start cooking bring to the boil 2 bottles of red wine (not the 'basics' range but any mediocre red will do), and add some thyme sprigs, some bay leaves, a chopped carrot, a stick or two of chopped celery, a quartered onion and 5 cloves of garlic- flattened with a good whack of a knife.
Reduce this wine by half and sieve out everything, keeping the wine and discarding the rest.
Fry up a pack of smoked lardons in your largest pan (that has a lid too if poss), with some olive oil or butter.
Remove the lardons form the pan.
Brown 10 or 12 chicken thighs (that have been covered in seasoned flour) in the same pan, taking care not to burn, but just brown. Also remove from the pan.
Add 10 or 12 shallots (whole or if large cut in half) and 20 little button mushrooms to the pan and lower the heat and fry gently. Remove from pan.
Add some of the reduced wine and get all the yummy bits off the bottom of the now very well used pan!
Add the bacon and chicken back into the pan, and add 3 shots of brandy and set alight with a match. As soon as the flames have gone out add the rest of the reduced wine and some more thyme.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the vegetables and simmer for another 20 minutes with the lid only half on.
Serve with lots crushed new potatoes and some braised red cabbage.
A couple of hours before you start cooking bring to the boil 2 bottles of red wine (not the 'basics' range but any mediocre red will do), and add some thyme sprigs, some bay leaves, a chopped carrot, a stick or two of chopped celery, a quartered onion and 5 cloves of garlic- flattened with a good whack of a knife.
Reduce this wine by half and sieve out everything, keeping the wine and discarding the rest.
Fry up a pack of smoked lardons in your largest pan (that has a lid too if poss), with some olive oil or butter.
Remove the lardons form the pan.
Brown 10 or 12 chicken thighs (that have been covered in seasoned flour) in the same pan, taking care not to burn, but just brown. Also remove from the pan.
Add 10 or 12 shallots (whole or if large cut in half) and 20 little button mushrooms to the pan and lower the heat and fry gently. Remove from pan.
Add some of the reduced wine and get all the yummy bits off the bottom of the now very well used pan!
Add the bacon and chicken back into the pan, and add 3 shots of brandy and set alight with a match. As soon as the flames have gone out add the rest of the reduced wine and some more thyme.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the vegetables and simmer for another 20 minutes with the lid only half on.
Serve with lots crushed new potatoes and some braised red cabbage.