Braised Chicken With Prune Sauce

Preamble
Tushenaia Kuritsa Pod Sousom Iz Chernosliv (Russian)

Ingredients
2 1/2-3 lb Chicken Pieces
Salt
Black Pepper
2 oz Butter
1 1/2 teaspoons Oil
1 Carrot cut into rounds
1 Celery Stick chopped
4 oz chopped Onions
1 sprig Parsley
1 Bay Leaf
3/8 pint Stock
5/8 pint Water
1/2 lb stoned Prunes
2 1/2 teaspoons Lemon Juice and Sugar
4 oz Plain Flour

Method

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 oz of butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil over high heat.

Add chicken, reduce heat and fry about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove, add vegetables and cook till soft but not brown.

Return chicken to pan, add parsley and bay leaf and pour in stock. Cover and bring to boil over a high heat.

Lower heat, simmer chicken, basting from time to time for 30 minutes.

Boil water, lemon juice and sugar, add prunes and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken, put into a heated dish with prunes, cover and keep warm.

Strain pan remnants through a fine sieve, set aside. Melt 1 oz of butter and stir in flour - cook - pour in 6 teaspoons of prune juice and pan juices - bring to the boil and stir till smooth and thick. Pour over chicken.