Back in the ’80s Matthew Broderick played a teenage computer hacker in a movie called “War Games.” Surfing illicitly through government files he found a simulation program that he thought was a computer game. It looked like fun, so he started it running — and nearly set off a global thermonuclear war.

Do you get the impression that reality is imitating a film script these days? Except this time the hapless hacker stumbled on a scenario called “Global Economic Meltdown” and hasn’t yet figured how to turn the game off.

I don’t want to run around like Chicken Little screaming, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” But look outside. Chunks of the sky do appear to be falling down as I write this.

Oh, never mind. That’s just rain. It’s been so long, I forgot what it looks like.

So maybe the world isn’t coming to an end today after all. But you can’t deny we’re in for some hard times.

With the elections coming up, this is the season of platitudes and clichés, so I’ve decided to spout some of my own: With Wall Street on the skids, it’s time to hunker down, economize, stretch our food dollars, and tighten our belts to get through the bumpy ride.

If that is indeed rain, and not falling dividend yields, I’m happy to see it — rain will do wonders for the fall garden I planted last month. (Or at least, for what tiny portion of the plants remain after Eddie Haskell decided the carefully tended raised bed was his new cat box. Honestly, doesn’t anyone need a cat? You’re killing me here.)

Besides the garden, which, Eddie willing, should shortly be providing me with a no-cost salad or two, I’m focusing my attention on budget-conscious meals.

If you look at the foods of poorer times and places, one thing that strikes you is the way a small amount of the expensive ingredient — usually meat — is stretched to feed a lot of people. Sometimes it’s just a piece or two of bacon, flavoring beans, collards or sauerkraut. Other times it’s an inexpensive, tough cut of meat treated to long, slow cooking. With a lot of vegetables added, a small amount of protein can make a large and satisfying stew or soup. If a hearty starch, such as polenta or noodles, is the basis for a meal, a rich meat sauce can be used in small quantities like gravy.

And there’s a bonus. Not only are these solutions good, they’re good for you. Nutritionists are united in trying to push meat off the center of the plate.

My favorite budget meals often involve chicken. Even if, like me, you deplore the excesses of modern animal husbandry and try not to buy chickens raised in a wire-fenced concentration camp, you can still find a nice, plump, well-raised bird for a few dollars a pound.

And here’s another bright note for these dark times. Even with the economy spiraling down the tubes, the smell of grape-crushing in the Valley this week offers reassurance that we’re unlikely to be facing shortages in our local agricultural commodity.

So, as my personal contribution to economic health, I propose combining wine with chicken in a big pot of coq au vin.

The name may be French, but really, chicken stew couldn’t be more American or more patriotic. After all, as Joe Biden just reminded us, wasn’t it FDR who got on TV during the Depression to promise us a chicken in every pot?

Coq au Vin

When it comes to French recipes, Julia Child is my guru. Her recipes are so sure-fire that I don’t often tweak them, but I did adapt this one to incorporate frozen, already peeled, whole baby onions — a fabulous convenience food I found in the freezer section of Whole Foods. That eliminates one of the most labor-intensive tasks, though, as in most of her recipes, there are still a lot of steps left. Don’t be put off — nothing is difficult and the results are worth the effort.

4 slices thick bacon

3 1/2 lbs. chicken (either 1 whole chicken cut up, or your selection of pieces)

8 ounces (half a bag) frozen baby onions

4 cloves garlic

3/4 lb. small white mushrooms, quartered

1 large ripe tomato, chopped

4-5 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

3 cups red wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. flour

Salt and pepper

Place the bacon in a small saucepan and cover it with a couple inches of water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 7 minutes, then drain. Cool, then cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch matchsticks. (This step is to remove some of the salt and smoke flavor, which would otherwise overpower the dish.)

In a deep 12-inch skillet or casserole, sauté the bacon until crisp. Remove to a dish and reserve, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Lightly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then brown them in the bacon fat over medium-high heat. (Don’t crowd the pan — you might need to do this in two batches.) Remove the chicken to a plate.

Pour off most of the oil, leaving about two tablespoons in the pan. Add the frozen onions and the garlic cloves and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are thawed and starting to take on a little brown color. Remove them to the plate with the chicken.

Next, sauté the mushroom quarters in the remaining oil, until they are just cooked. Remove to a separate bowl and reserve.

Add back the chicken and onions to the pan (or you can retire that pan and put the chicken and onions into a large casserole instead, one big enough to hold all the chicken plus 4 cups of liquid).

Add the bacon pieces, tomato, bay leaf and thyme. Pour in the wine and chicken stock. It should just cover the chicken — if it doesn’t, add more stock.

Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, onions, and other solid ingredients from the cooking pan, leaving just the liquid. Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes uncovered to reduce the liquid by about one-third.

Meanwhile, mash together the butter and the flour, using your fingers or a rubber spatula.

Take the pan off the heat, and whisk the butter-flour mixture into the sauce. Continue whisking until it is completely incorporated. Return the pan to the heat and boil for a minute, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste, correcting the seasonings if necessary.

Add back the chicken mixture as well as the mushrooms and any juices that have collected. Cook for a minute or two to heat all the ingredients and blend the flavors.

Serve with broad egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Serves 6.

Betty Teller is a serious foodie who tries not to take food too seriously. To discuss food or adopt a cat, contact her at amuse-bouche@sbcglobal.net.