LEG RECIPES: Duck or Goose Legs Braised in Banyuls . . . Spaghetti and Chicken Drummies

Spaghetti and Chicken Drummies

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

8 broiler-fryer chicken drumsticks

1 large clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 16-ounce can tomatoes

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

8 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Place sliced mushrooms in single layer in 2-quart shallow baking dish. Separate sliced onion into rings and arrange over mushrooms. Place drumsticks on top of onion, and sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, oregano and basil. Drain juice from tomatoes, and pour juice over chicken. Mash tomatoes with a fork or place in processor or blender container and process about 15 seconds; pour over drumsticks. Pour canned tomato sauce over all, covering drumsticks well. Place baking dish on a sided cookie sheet and bake in 400-degree oven about 1 hour, or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Yield: Serves 4.

Duck or Goose Legs Braised in Banyuls

6 large duck or goose legs, 8 to 10 ounces each, trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon thyme leaves plus 6 whole sprigs

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 tablespoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ cups diced onion

½ cup diced each: fennel, carrot

1 bay leaf

2 cups Banyuls or port

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 to 4 cups chicken stock or broth

Season legs with the thyme leaves, pepper and orange zest. Cover; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Take the legs out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. After 15 minutes, season the legs on all sides with salt. Heat a large skillet over high heat 2 minutes. Add the olive oil; heat 1 minute. Place the legs in the skillet skin side down in batches if necessary; cook until the skin is deep golden brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the legs; reduce the heat to medium. Cook 2 minutes. Transfer to a Dutch oven or other braising pan, skin side up. (The legs should just fit in the pan.)

Discard half of the fat in the skillet; heat skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, carrot, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often to scrape up all the crusty bits, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the Banyuls and vinegar. Turn the heat to high; heat the liquid to a boil. Cook until it has reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 3 cups of the stock; heat to a boil. Turn the heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.

Add the broth and vegetables to the Dutch oven (the liquid should not quite cover the legs; add more stock if necessary). Cover the pan with foil and a lid. Cook in the oven until the duck is very tender, about 2½ hours.

Carefully transfer the legs to a baking sheet. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Return legs to the oven to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all the juices; discard vegetables. Skim the top layer of fat from the sauce. If necessary, reduce the broth over medium-high heat to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste. Transfer the legs to a serving platter. Spoon the juices over the legs.

Note: You can braise the legs a day ahead, just remember it has to marinate at least 4 hours first.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 239 calories, 48 percent of calories from fat, 13 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 98 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams protein, 614 milligrams sodium, 1 grams fiber.

Garlic Chicken Legs

6 chicken legs (more or less as needed)

20 garlic cloves (papery skins left on)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons oil

Place garlic cloves in slow cooker.

Mix spices together in medium bowl.

Pour oil into separate medium bowl.

Dip chicken legs in oil then roll around in spice bowl until chicken is nicely coated in spices.

Place chicken legs in slow cooker with garlic cloves surrounding it.

Pour chicken broth over all ingredients.

Cook on Low for 8 hours.

After removing the chicken legs from the slow cooker, place them on a cookie sheet brushed with olive oil and put them under the broiler on high for 5 minutes. This helps to crispy up the outsides some.

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