2 bottles red wine
2 tablespoons cognac
1 1/2 cups cubed bacon (lard de poitrine demi-sel)
1/2 cup butter, plus a little oil
1 large onion or 20 small white onions
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bunches herbes de Provence bouquet garni
3/4 pound small mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the birds into pieces. Cut the bacon into small chunks. Chop the onion. Slice the mushrooms.
Melt the butter and oil in a large pot. Brown the birds lightly on all sides.
Sprinkle the flour over the bird pieces, in layers. Warm the cognac in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup of wine and then the cognac. Light the cognac and flambez the birds.
When the flames die naturally, pour in the rest of the wine and add the herbs. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
Cook in the oven for about an hour.
Sauté the bacon in a pan; set aside. In the same pan, sauté the onion; set aside. Repeat with the mushrooms.
When birds are cooked, take the pieces out, strain the sauce and reduce it to a nice texture. Add the onion, bacon and mushrooms, and the chicken pieces.
Let sit in fridge, covered, for a day. Upon reheating, add chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve it with fresh pasta or boiled potatoes. Feeds 12.
(May also be simmered on the stove instead of baked in the oven.)
