Ingredients:
4 free range chicken legs
1 onion chopped coarsely
1 large carrot chopped coarsely
2 celery stalks chopped coarsely
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bouquet garni (thyme/parsley/bay leaf all wrapped in leek) 1 bottle rich red wine
Tomato paste
Flour
Olive oil
½ ltr of veal stock
1lb of small button mushrooms
5 rindless rashers of smoked streaky bacon
24 frozen baby onions (thawed)
Large oven casserole dish with lid
First step: Marinate the chicken in the wine, chopped onion, celery, carrot and garlic with the bouquet garni for 24-36 hours.
Second step: After marinating, strain the wine and keep. Remove as much of the vegetables from the chicken as possible and using the casserole dish brown the chicken over high heat so the skin becomes nice and crispy, but the inside remains uncooked. Do this in batches if necessary. Remove the chicken and discard the oil. Add fresh oil and saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for about 5-8 minutes over a medium heat. Then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Mix until absorbed. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and stir until thickened. Then pour in the wine and reduce on a med-high heat for about 20-25 minutes.
Third step: Add the chicken and veal stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Then cover with the lid and put in a 120 Celsius oven for 2 hours.
In the meantime sweat the baby onions in butter for about 5-7 minutes until tender. Cook the bacon until brown and put aside then sauté the mushrooms and the baby onions in turn. Save the bacon, baby onions and mushrooms for later.
Remove the chicken legs from the sauce after 2 hours (the meat should fall off the bone!). Strain the sauce and discard the vegetables and bouquet garni. Add the liquid back to the casserole dish and reduce by half. Add the chicken, bacon, mushrooms and baby onions, simmer and serve with warm crusty French bread.

Bon appetit!