The frugal housewife

Last Saturday, my husband, wine writer Stephen Meuse, and I did one of our seminars on food and wine for Boston Globe subscribers. Participants spend the afternoon sampling and sipping and it's a pretty good deal (no charge!). One of the dishes was the chicken bonne femme shown here.

Bonne femme (literally "good wife") has come to mean using up scraps and what's available. It used to be the things a farmer's wife could collect on her own land -- a chicken, some mushrooms, a few potatoes. It's the kind of cooking I most enjoy. Here's the recipe.

Chicken legs Bonne Femme
Serves 8

8 whole chicken legs (thighs attached to drumsticks)
3 medium onions, quartered
Olive oil (for sprinkling)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups white wine
2 cups chicken stock
16 fingerling or other small yellow potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Set the oven at 500 degrees. In a large roasting pan, arrange the chicken, skin side up, and tuck the onions around the edges. They should all fit snugly. Sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes or until the onion tips are starting to brown (the chicken will not be cooked through).
3. Meanwhile, in a large flameproof casserole, heat the butter. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until they start to soften.
4. Pour the wine and stock into the pan, scraping the bottom. Add the chicken pieces and onions. Bring to a boil, partially cover with the lid, and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Steam the potatoes over high heat for 8 minutes or until tender. Halve or quarter them.
6. Remove the chicken legs from the pan and halve them. Return them to the pan with the potatoes. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Sprinkle with thyme and parsley. Sheryl Julian