Hear this week's Book, Screen and Food segment from Don't Shoot The Messenger.

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BOOK: Caro has a Book: An Inside Job by Daniel Silva

SCREEN: Caro has a Screen: The Ballad of Wallis Island

FOOD: Corrie has a Recipe: Coq au Vin from Sunday Life Magazine

The classic French combination of bacon, mushrooms and thyme

turns chicken into a delicious crowd-pleaser.

1 large chicken, cut into 8 pieces 3 sprigs thyme

sea salt and freshly cracked 2 tbsp tomato paste

black pepper 2 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp olive oil 2-2 ½ cups red wine

3 tbsp butter 4 slices thick bacon,

8 slices pancetta, coarsely chopped coarsely chopped

12 eschalots, thickly sliced 200g button mushrooms, quartered

12 cloves garlic, peeled 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

and smashed

2 bay leaves SERVES 4

Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional. Season chicken pieces

with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in

a large flameproof, ovenproof dish with a lid. Add pancetta and cook for 2

minutes. Add chicken and brown on al sides. Remove chicken and pancetta.

Place eschalots, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in dish and cook, stirring, for 3-4

minutes. Add tomato paste and stock and stir well. Return chicken to dish and

cover with red wine. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Cover dish with lid and

place in oven to bake for 45-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked and tender.

Place dish over high heat on stove top and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

or until juices are reduced by half. Stir in remaining butter.

Place bacon in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms

and a little extra butter, if necessary. Cook mushrooms for 5 minutes or until just tender, then stir in parsley. Serve chicken and juices topped with bacon and mushroom mixture and with boiled or mashed potatoes on the side.

Food for thought

Polenta Is perfect with osso buco or the hunter's shin of beef (see

previous pages). Place 1.2L water, 300ml milk, 2 walnut-size pieces

butter and 1 tbsp salt in a large pot over medium heat. When liquid is

about to simmer, whisk in a mix of 300g polenta and 200g fine semolina.

Swap to a wooden spoon when mixture starts to thicken and stir for

5-10 minutes or until you have a smooth, thick texture. Stir in 100g

grated parmesan. Serve polenta within 15 minutes or It will start to set.