Pot-au-feu, this “good woman’s” dish that reconciles us with winter…
Jean-Pierre Coffe classified it among the “good woman’s” dishes, namely all these dishes based on boiled, braised, stew, stew…
Pot au feu remains and will remain a great classic of our culinary heritage. And it is no coincidence that it occupies a special place in the Top 10 of French favorite dishes.
Another advantage and not the least, it is economical and its leftovers make excellent bases for new gourmet flavors. In short, it has everything to please!
A popular recipe par excellence Aaaaaah the pot of meat and vegetables simmering on the corner of the stove and the aromas escaping from it... like all boiled meat and vegetable dishes, the pot-au-feu constitutes one of the strongest bases of our culinary history.
Present in many regions of France, even in many countries, its origin is lost in the mists of time. A very popular dish, it has long symbolized the poor man's unique meal. The term pot-au-feu in fact designated the “fire” pot, that is to say the pot in which an aromatic broth was browned to which meat and vegetables were added.
It was only from the 18th century that the pot au feu acquired its letters of nobility and became a dish of bourgeois cuisine. Simple and warm, pot-au-feu has today become an essential part of bistro cuisine.
For their part, bistronomic restaurants no longer hesitate to revisit this rustic and gourmet preparation. There is something for everyone: duck, lamb, foie gras, seafood or even vegetarian stew.
Choose your meat and vegetables wisely Carefully chosen vegetables and meat, that’s the secret! A minimum of three pieces of different nature, texture and taste is required: a low-fat meat (chuck or scoter), another gelatinous (shank or roe) and a medium-fat meat (tendon, flank or rib dish). . But many other pieces of meat can also be used in the pot au feu, such as cheek or oxtail. Marrow bones go without saying… beware if you forget them!
As for vegetables, leeks, carrots and turnips form the basic trio. It can be supplemented with potatoes, kohlrabi, celery, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, etc. Essential, the bouquet garni composed of parsley, thyme, bay leaf, celery stalk enclosed in leek greens.
It is the perfect cooking of all these ingredients that makes it an unforgettable dish (see recipe below). It is even better reheated and eaten the next day. During the night, the broth will penetrate the meat like a marinade and bring out all the flavors.
What do we do with the leftovers? Pot-au-feu is a dish that reheats very well, but it has another advantage, its leftovers can be used in a thousand and one ways: in salad, in terrine, in beef mironton, in shepherd's pie, etc. The advantage is to provide it in large quantities so that you can enjoy it the following days, served with different sauces or reused in different recipes. The remaining broth will please everyone, garnished with vermicelli or small soup noodles.
