New TV chef Simon Hopkinson, who stars in The Good Cook this Friday on BBC One, shares some of his favourite recipes.

• The Good Cook starts on Friday, July 8, on BBC One. The accompanying book is published by BBC Books, £25

Serves four
1 bottle of decent red wine, preferably Pinot Noir
1tsp redcurrant jelly
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and bruised
3-4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
4 large chicken joints: drumstick and thigh, skin removed
1tbsp olive oil
25g butter
100g smoked pancetta, in a piece, rind removed, cut into large cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp flour
20 button onions, peeled (cover with boiling water for a couple of minutes to ease peeling)
20 button mushrooms
3tbsp Cognac

METHOD

Put the first nine ingredients into a stainless steel or enamelled pot and bring to the boil. Leave over a medium flame until reduced by one third. Strain through a fine sieve and cool completely. Marinate the chicken pieces in this for at least 5-6 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Warm the olive oil and butter in a solid-bottomed pot or frying pan and gently fry the pancetta until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Season the chicken joints and roll in the flour, then fry until golden brown in the olive oil/fat remaining from the pancetta. Remove these, too, and put with the reserved pancetta.

Now tip the onions and mushrooms into the pot and gently cook until well coloured – about 10 minutes.

Tip out all the fat, return the chicken and pancetta to the pot, turn up the heat and pour over the Cognac. Set alight, allow the flames to die down and then add the reserved, reduced wine.

Shake about a bit, allowing everything to settle down, then cover and put on a very low heat. Simmer at a merest ‘blip’, partially covered, for about 1 hour. Alternatively, use an oven preheated to 170C/Gas Mark 3.

Serve the coq au vin with simply boiled or steamed potatoes, lubricated with melted butter. You may also like to garnish the dish in a classical manner, by frying some little bread triangles, dipping their edges in some of the red wine sauce, and then in chopped parsley.