Simple Pot Au Feu Recipes

POT-AU-FEU

Steps:

• In an 10 to 12 quart stock pot or soup kettle combine beef with short ribs and cover with stock or water by 4 inches. Bring to a boil over moderate heat; as the stock begins to boil, carefully skim all foam and scum from surface and discard. Reduce heat to low, skim again, then add onions, carrots, tomatoes and bouquet garni. Skim again; cover the pot, leaving the lid ajar and simmer as slowly as possible, skimming on occasion. Cook for 2 to hours or until meat is almost tender. Remove meats. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with dampened double layer of cheesecloth. Discard seasoning vegetables and bouquet garni; remove surface fat. (If you do this on one day, before you finish the dish, store meat and liquid separately.)
• Transfer stock to a clean pot. Return the meat to the liquid along with the carrots and turnips. Bring the liquid to a boil, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots, turnips and meats are tender. Meanwhile boil the potatoes separately (when done, leave in water off heat) and steam cabbage wedges separately for 8 minutes or until just tender.
• To serve, degrease the liquid and season with salt and pepper. Remove meat from liquid, discard strings and carve into 1/4-inch slices, remove short rib bones and cut into chunks. Transfer slices of meat, a portion of potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips into a deep soup plate. Ladle liquid over the top and garnish with parsley; serve as main course soup.
• Or, serve soup liquid first, garnished with parsley and serve meat, vegetables, potatoes and carrots as a second course, accompanied by 1 or more accompaniments and a good French bread.

POT AU FEU

Steps:

• Place the beef and veal in a large pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Allow to cook at a lively simmer about 10 minutes, skimming the surface thoroughly during this time.
• Lower heat and add onions, leeks, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley. Cook at a low simmer for two hours.
• After two hours the meats should be fairly tender. Add the chicken, sausage and turnips. Skim the surface for a few minutes after these ingredients have been added, then cook an hour longer.
• When the ingredients have finished cooking, strain the contents of the pot by ladling them into a colander suspended over a large bowl. Wash the cooking pot, then pour the broth from the bowl through a very fine strainer back into it. Season the broth to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove the meats from the colander and set aside. Discard the leeks, parsley and bay leaves. Peel and quarter the onions. Cut the carrots and celery pieces into large chunks. Quarter the turnips.
• Arrange the onions, carrots, celery and turnips on a heat-retaining platter and cover with foil. If you are not planning to serve the pot au feu the same day, place all the meats on another platter, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate the platter of vegetables overnight. Refrigerate the broth overnight. Remove the ingredients from the refrigerator at least two hours before serving.
• To serve, cut chunks of the veal off the bone, remove the skin from the chicken and cut the meat from the bones in large sections. Cut the sausage in chunks. Trim all visible fat from the brisket and slice it thin. Arrange the slices on the platter with the other cut meats. Put the pieces of veal bone on the platter. Cover with foil. Place the meat platter and the vegetable platter in a preheated 200 degree oven to warm for an hour.
• Skim as much fat as possible from broth and reheat gently. Serve broth, with a little chopped flat-leaf parsley on top, in bowls. Pass the platters of meat and vegetables alongside, so guests can help themselves.
• Serve the boiled potatoes and green sauce alongside and have little dishes of mustard, horseradish, cornichons and coarse sea salt on the table as well.

POT-AU-FEU

Steps:

• Cook meats:
• Preheat convection oven to 425°F or regular oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Pat meats dry, then rub with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (total) and arrange in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan with quartered onions and halved carrots. Roast, turning occasionally, until meats and vegetables are well browned, 35 to 45 minutes in convection oven; 45 minutes to 1 hour in regular oven.
• Transfer meats and vegetables to pot with any juices from pan. Deglaze pan with a little water, scraping up brown bits, then add to pot with water (6 quarts) and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, skimming foam and fat from surface.
• Tie celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and clove in a cheesecloth bundle and add to pot.
• Cut off dark green part from leeks, reserving remainder, and wash . Fold greens and tie in 2 bunches, then add to pot. Gently simmer, uncovered, skimming as necessary, until meats are very tender, about 3 hours.
• Prepare leeks and onions while meats simmer:
• Trim roots from leeks, keeping ends intact, then, starting 1 1/2 inches from root end, slit each leek lengthwise and wash between layers. Tie leeks together in 2 bunches, tying each bunch in 2 places.
• Blanch boiling onions in a medium pot of boiling water 1 minute, then drain and peel.
• Cook meats:
• Preheat oven to 200°F with rack in lower third.
• Transfer meats to a shallow baking pan, discarding bones from short ribs, and keep warm, covered with foil, in oven. Discard cheesecloth bundle, leek greens, and cooked onions and carrots from broth, then skim off fat from broth with a skimmer or large spoon and keep broth warm over low heat.
• Arrange marrowbones (if using) upright in 1 layer in a medium saucepan and add enough broth from pot (about 1 quart) to cover bones. Add 1 teaspoon salt and simmer gently, uncovered, until marrow is soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While marrowbones cook, simmer boiling onions and leeks with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in remaining broth in large pot, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Add small carrots and turnips and simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Serve pot-au-feu:
• Transfer marrowbones with tongs to a platter (discard liquid) and serve with baguette slices and coarse salt.
• Discard bone from chuck roast and slice chuck 1/2 inch thick, then arrange, along with meat from short ribs, on a large platter.
• Transfer vegetables to platter with a slotted spoon and cut string off leeks.
• Season broth with salt and pepper, then spoon some over meats and vegetables to moisten and serve remainder in a soup tureen.
• To eat, ladle broth over meats and vegetables in soup plates, then stir in horseradish and mustard to taste.

POT-AU-FEU STEW

Steps:

• In a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat, brown the meat. Add the chicken stock, vegetables, and herbs and bring to a simmer, about 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender. Raise the heat if necessary to maintain the simmer.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a cutting board. Spoon the vegetables among 4 large shallow bowls. Ladle some broth into each bowl. Slice the meat into 8 slices and spoon 2 slices into each bowl.