Cock-o-wen

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken legs, trimmed, or 1 stewing chicken, 5-8 lbs (2.2-3.5 kg), cut into pieces
• 24 - 30 pearl onions
• 1/4 - 0.5 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 170 g of pork fat or bacon, diced
• 220 g of champignons, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 bottles of 750 ml red wine, preferably Pinot Noir
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chicken broth

Preparation:

1. Trim the root end of each pearl onion and score it with a knife. Boil 2-3 cups of water and immerse the onions in it for 1 minute. Then remove the onions from the pan and let them cool. Peel them. The onions should slide out of the skins.
2. Season the chicken on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, in a large, resealable plastic bag with flour. Shake to evenly coat all the pieces. Remove the chicken from the bag and transfer it to a wire rack.
3. Place a large 12-inch (30 cm) frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of water, and the lard. Cover and cook until the water evaporates, then continue cooking until the lard cubes are golden brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the fried lard from the pan.
4. In the same skillet, add the pearl onions to the rendered lard, season with salt and black pepper, and fry for 8-10 minutes. Remove the onions from the skillet. Then fry the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan. Transfer the chicken to a 7-8-quart enameled cast-iron casserole.
5. Add the mushrooms to the same pan you fried the chicken in, adding 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and cook until the mushrooms have rendered all the water, about 5 minutes. Place the onions, mushrooms, and fried bacon in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Drain the remaining fat from the pan and add about 1 cup of wine, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour this wine into the cauldron along with the chicken broth, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. The next day, preheat the oven to 160°C.
8. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 2-2.5 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very low simmer and stir occasionally.
9. When the chicken is done, transfer it to an ovenproof container, cover, and place in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce through a colander and discard the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pan, set over medium heat, and reduce by a third. Depending on how much liquid you had, this could take 20 to 45 minutes.
10. Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and lard and cook for another 15 minutes, or until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove from heat and add the chicken. Serve with egg noodles, if desired.
    
    

    Culinary advice

    
    If the sauce isn't thick enough at the end of cooking, you can add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour. Start by adding 1 tablespoon of each. Stir the mixture into the sauce for 4-5 minutes, adding more if necessary.