Julia Child's Coq Au Vin

It was a post from 3 weekends ago when I decided to finish up a bottle of my red Cotes du Rhone while cleaning up my kitchen. Drinking alone can be fun. I was not even half way through that I decided to use them to cook instead so here it is, a quick google and here's what attracted me.

Here's the excerp;

From her 1960s TV show, "The French Chef," came many classic dishes. Julia made good on Herbert Hoover's promise of a ''chicken in every pot'' with her wildly popular recipe for Coq au Vin. A simple chicken dish made with mushrooms, onions, bacon and red wine, Coq au Vin was copied in millions of kitchens around the country. — Linda Avery



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lardons, cut into 1/4 by 1 1/2-inch strips (optional or replace them with bacon
• 2 or more tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 pounds ready-cut frying chicken (a selection of parts, or all of one kind), thoroughly dried
• 1/4 cup Cognac or Armagnac
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 16 to 20 small white onions, peeled ( I use baby onions)
• 1 medium carrot, sliced to 1 cm thick
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups red wine (Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or Pinot Noir)
• About 2 cups brown chicken stock or beef bouillon
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
• About 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, and quartered

Method

1. If you are using bacon, sauté several minutes in 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole until lightly browned; remove lardons to a side dish and leave fat in pan. (Otherwise, film pan with 1/8 inch of oil.)
2. Heat fat or oil in pan to moderately hot, add chicken, not crowding pan; turn frequently to brown nicely on all sides. Pour in the Cognac, shake pan a few seconds until bubbling hot, then ignite Cognac with a match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.
3. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; add bay leaf and thyme. Place onions and carrots around the chicken. Cover and cook slowly 10 minutes, turning once.
4. Uncover pan and sprinkle on the flour, turning chicken and onions so flour is absorbed; cook 3 to 4 minutes more, turning once or twice.
5. Remove from heat, gradually stir and swirl in the wine and enough stock or bouillon to almost cover the chicken. Add the browned bacon, garlic, and tomato paste to the pan. Cover and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes, then test chicken; remove those pieces that are tender, and continue cooking the rest a few minutes longer. If onions/carrots are not quite tender, continue cooking them; then return all chicken to the pan, add mushrooms, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes. Taste carefully, and correct seasoning. Sauce should be just thick enough to coat chicken and vegetables lightly. If too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if too thick, thin out with spoonfuls of bouillon.