Coq au Vin

Preheat the oven to 400°. Pat the chicken legs dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Working in batches, cook the chicken legs over moderately high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large roasting pan.

In the same skillet, cook the carrots, celery and onions over moderate heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Pour in the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Pour the wine and vegetables over the chicken, cover the roasting pan with foil and braise in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken is very tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan of boiling water, blanch the pearl onions until the skins begin to shrivel, about 30 seconds. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Trim off the root ends and slip off the skins.

In a very large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until the edges are golden but the bacon is still chewy, about 20 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Pour off all but 5 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.

Add the pearl onions, mushrooms and turnips to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until softened and slightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 350°. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Carefully strain the cooking liquid into a large saucepan, pressing hard on the vegetables; discard the vegetables. Boil the cooking liquid over high heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the thyme.

Return the chicken to the roasting pan and add the bacon and vegetables from the skillet. Pour the thyme sauce on top, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is heated through and the vegetables are tender. Transfer the chicken to shallow bowls, spoon the bacon, vegetables and sauce on top and serve.

Mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles.