Coq au Vin

Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Pat the chicken thighs dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide, flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat and fry the lardons for 5 to 6 minutes, until the fat has run and the edges are crisp. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Brown the thighs skin-side down in the bacon fat, in two batches, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden. Turn and colour the other side for 2 minutes, then set aside on a plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

Add the chopped onion and diced carrots to the dish and cook over a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly coloured. Add the crushed garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and cook for another minute.

Pour in the brandy, standing back from any open flame, and let it bubble for 30 seconds while you scrape up the browned bits from the base of the dish. Add the wine, bring to the boil and let it bubble for about 6 minutes, until reduced by roughly a third. Add the stock, thyme and bay leaves.

Nestle the thighs back into the liquid, skin-side up so the skin stays above the surface. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid and braise in the oven for 50 minutes, until the meat is tender and pulls easily from the bone.

While the chicken braises, cover the baby onions with boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and slip off the skins. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions with the sugar and a pinch of salt and brown them for about 8 minutes. Add 50ml of water, cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender and glazed. Tip them onto a plate.

In the same pan, fry the halved mushrooms over a high heat in two batches, leaving them undisturbed for a minute or two at a time, for about 5 minutes per batch, until deeply golden. Season at the end.

Take the casserole out of the oven and lift the chicken onto a plate. Stir the onions, mushrooms and two thirds of the lardons into the sauce and simmer on the hob, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes, until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Spoon off any fat from the surface and remove the thyme stalks and bay leaves.

Return the chicken to the dish and warm through for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Scatter over the chopped parsley and the remaining lardons, and serve with mashed potato or crusty bread to catch the sauce. The flavour deepens if it is made a day ahead and reheated gently.