Red wine and bacon lend a smoky richness to the French classic coq au vin

When Julia Child prepared coq au vin on “The French Chef,” she went fairly easy on the red wine. She said she poured in “about 2 cups” of “a good robust red wine.”

But in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” published three years before the coq au vin episode aired, she used 3 cups, or basically the contents of an entire bottle.

That’s the recipe I followed.

The alcohol cooks out, but I figured a little extra red wine would impart even more flavor to the savory richness of the dish.

Despite its depth and complexity, coq au vin is surprisingly unfussy, and it makes for a wonderful winter warmer. I’ve been making it a lot lately. Nearly once a week, at one point. I couldn’t help it. It’s just so savory and satisfying.

Perhaps the most famous of all French dishes, coq au vin – rooster in wine – is a classic. Child popularized it in America in the 1960s, and it quickly became one of her signature dishes.

The fork-tender chicken in the silky, smoky sauce is somehow rustic and elegant at the same time. It’s also impressive. Serve it when company’s coming. Mention Julia Child. People will think you spent hours laboring away over the recipe, which is – in fact – relatively forgiving and simple to make.

Most sources list the skill level as moderate or intermediate, but never mind them. If you skip the igniting of the cognac, like I do, it’s fairly easy. In fact, I usually omit the cognac altogether and the flavorful, velvety sauce seems no worse off for it. It’s still quite decadent.

Although she said it was optional, Child, of course, included the cognac, which she lighted on fire during Episode 5 of Season 2 of “The French Chef.” It aired on Jan. 1, 1964.

“Stand well away so you don’t burn your hair,” Child said on the show, noting the step is “rather fun but isn’t necessary.”

Burning my hair or anything else by accident seemed likely but not fun. So I opted out.

I also opted out of the additional butter or oil Child used to cook the lardons, or sticks cut from a slab of salted pork belly – bacon or pancetta work, too – at the beginning of the recipe. The pork fat seemed like plenty.

But these are the rules I don’t break: “You have hot fat, dry meat and you don’t crowd the pan,” Child said on the show.

Be sure to pat dry the chicken, whichever pieces you choose to use. I usually do leg and breast meat, but sometimes I opt for breast meat only.

“Use the parts you like,” said Child, who used wings as well on “The French Chef.”

On “The French Chef,” she cooked pearl onions with the chicken after browning it and added mushrooms to the stew near the end. The book calls for cooking both the onions and the mushrooms separately, then stirring them into the dish before serving, which is what I usually do. Celery and carrots could add some color and texture, but they aren’t included in Child’s original recipe.

Sometimes, I throw in an extra bay leaf and garnish the dish with a sprinkling of fresh or dried parsley. Fresh thyme is best in the stew, but the dried herb works fine, too. I also usually use a whole tablespoon of tomato paste, doubling the amount called for.

Never mind the sort of freakish, deep-purple color which lingers awhile after adding the wine. It cooks down – along with the flour and beef stock (sometimes, I use chicken broth) – into a hearty and comforting brown gravy.

It takes about an hour and a half on the stove top or electric skillet. And, “You want to watch it as you cook it,” said Child, who recommended serving the dish with green peas for color. “Rice is nice,” too, she said.

Other serving options include boiled or roasted or mashed potatoes, noodles or gnocchi.

The recipe easily doubles. And if you have any coq au vin leftover, you’re lucky. The flavor only deepens overnight.

Coq au Vin

From “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” by Julia Child

This popular dish may be called coq au Chamberlain, coq au Riesling, or coq au whatever wine you use for its cooking. It is made with either white or red wine, but red is more characteristic. In France it is usually accompanied only by parsley potatoes; buttered green peas could be included if you wish a green vegetable. Serve it with a young, full-bodied red Burgundy, Beaujolais or Cotes du Rhone.

3- to 4-ounce chunk lean bacon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 to 3 pounds frying chicken, cut into pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning

1/8 teaspoon pepper, plus additional for seasoning

1/4 cup cognac

3 cups young, full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, or Chianti

1 to 2 cups brown chicken stock, brown stock or canned beef bouillon

1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

12 to 24 Brown-Braised Onions, recipe follows

1/2 pound Sauteed Mushrooms, recipe follows

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons softened butter

Fresh parsley leaves

Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4-inch across and 1-inch long). Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water. Dry.

In a large, heavy-bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, saute the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned (temperature of 260 degrees for an electric skillet). Remove to a side dish.

Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole (360 degrees for the electric skillet).

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly (300 degrees) for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.

Uncover and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.

Pour the wine into the casserole. Add just enough stock or bouillon to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic tomato and herbs. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. Remove the chicken to a side dish.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the casserole for 1 to 2 minutes, skimming off fat. Then raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups. Correct seasoning. Remove from heat, and discard bay leaf.

Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manie). Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

Arrange the chicken in a casserole, place the mushrooms and onions around it and baste with the sauce. If the dish is not to be served immediately, film the top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside uncovered for no longer than 1 hour or cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Shortly before serving, bring the casserole to a simmer, basting the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of parsley.

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Brown-braised Onions

From “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” by Julia Child

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons oil

18 to 24 peeled white onions, about 1 inch in diameter

1/2 cup of brown stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, red wine, or water

Salt and pepper to taste

A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth

When the butter and oil are bubbling in a 9- to 10-inch enameled skillet, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

Then braise them as follows: Pour in the liquid, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet.

Or, bake them as follows: Transfer the onions and their sautéing fat to a shallow baking dish or casserole just large enough to hold them in one layer. Set uncovered in upper third of a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, turning them over once or twice. They should be very tender, retain their shape, and be a nice golden brown. Remove herb bouquet.

The onions may be cooked hours in advance, and reheated before serving.

Sautéed Mushrooms

From “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” by Julia Child

Successfully sautéed mushrooms are lightly browned and exude none of their juice while they are being cooked; to achieve this, the mushrooms must be dry, the butter very hot, and the mushrooms must not be crowded in the pan. If you sauté too many at once they steam rather than fry; their juices escape and they do not brown. So if you are preparing a large amount, or if your heat source is feeble, sauté the mushrooms in several batches.

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large

Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons minced shallots or green onions

Salt and pepper

Place 10-inch enameled skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During their sauté the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.

Toss the shallots or green onions with the mushrooms. Sauté over moderate heat for 2 minutes.

Sautéed mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.