My manager at Red Bee Lefty asked me for this recipe before I leave the company this evening so I thought I would post it for others to enjoy!

Coq au Vin

Makes enough for 8

Ingredients:
Handful of Peeled shallots
Handful of Carrots 2cm chunks
Handful of Celery 2cm chunks
Button chestnut mushrooms ( or quartered bigger ones)
Handful of Baby plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
2 Handfuls of Baby new potatoes (or 3cm cubes of bigger ones)
2 small organic chickens chopped into pieces. I do two wings, 2 legs,
4 breast pieces, back per chicken with a cleaver. (You can buy ready
chopped pieces to save time or even fillets if you have fussy guests).
2 rashers of organic smoked bacon chopped into s 2cm pieces
Bottle of full bodied red wine (best you can justify cooking with)
Plain flour
Bouquet Garnit (or mixed herbs)
Fresh flatleaf parsley
2 Bay leaves
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Cooking instructions
Mix flour & salt & pepper on a plate
Heat 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil in a large cast iron casserole
Roll each chicken piece in flour mix and rub into skin.
Fry the pieces in the oil until golden brown on the outside.
Take the chicken pieces out and put aside.
In the same oil add the shallots, bacon, celery, mushrooms and carrots.
Saute on a low heat until the shallots are glassy.
Turn up to medium heat, add the chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, 2 bay
leaves, bouquet garni, whole bottle of wine.
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Take out the biggest piece of chicken and stick a knife in to make
sure it is cooked through.
The sauce should be thick - if it is not, add flour bit by bit to a
teaspoon of olive oil in a cup until you have a very thick paste, then
stir it into the sauce and cook for 5 or 10 more minutes until the
sauce is thickened and doesn't taste of flour. Add salt & pepper if
necessary. If the sauce is bitter add a teaspoon of sugar.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve with bread, rice and salad.
Yum.