Simple Pot Au Feu Recipes

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.

Steps:

• In a large kettle combine the beef, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, cheesecloth bag, stock, salt and water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, skimming, for 1 1/2: hours. Add chicken, bring back to boil and simmer, partially covered, skimming, 1 1/2 hours more.
• With tongs or large fork transfer meat and chicken to platter, skim fat from cooking liquid and strain liquid through a sieve into a bowl. Return meat and chicken to kettle and add strained cooking liquid. Bring liquid back to a boil and add bundles of vegetables, carrots, leeks and celery. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Add turnips and sausage, and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes, or until vegetables and meat are tender.
• Arrange meat and vegetables on platter. Serve soup in bowls and allow guests to choose meat and vegetables of their choice. Serve with accompaniments, if desired.
• Recommended Wine: 1994 Cotes du Rhone Domaine Gramenon

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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange veal bones in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan. Place in oven and roast, turning occasionally, until light golden brown, about 1 hour.
• Transfer veal bones to a 20-quart stockpot. Tie up each short rib with kitchen string. Add short ribs, brisket, and enough cold water to cover the meats (about 6 1/2 quarts). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and skim off any fat and scum that form on the surface. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming as necessary.
• Trim dark-green tops from leeks, and reserve them. Cut leek bottoms in half lengthwise, and place in a bowl of cold water. Soak for 10 minutes to rid them of sand. Lift out, drain, and set aside. Add onions, 2 medium carrots, half the leeks, and 1 tablespoon salt to the stockpot. Wrap thyme, garlic, white and black peppercorns, cloves, parsley stems, and bay leaves in cheesecloth, tie with kitchen string, and add to stockpot along with 1 quart water. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, turn on oven to 425 degrees. and preheat for 15 minutes.
• Prepare chicken: rinse it inside and out, pat dry, tie the legs together with kitchen string, and tuck wing tips underneath body. Place in a roasting pan, and roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to the simmering stockpot, and add water to cover (about 3 quarts). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 45 minutes (the stock should simmer a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes), skimming the surface as necessary. If the chicken cannot be completely immersed in the water, turn it after 20 minutes to ensure even cooking.
• Remove stockpot from heat. Remove the meat and chicken from the stockpot; set meats aside. Strain the broth into a large bowl through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, and discard solids. Let meat and broth cool, and refrigerate them overnight.
• Continue the preparation the next day. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub salt on cut sides of marrow bones. Rinse the reserved leek tops in cold water, and cut into 20 strips, 1/2 inch by 9 inches. Crisscross 2 strips of leek tops over each marrow bone, and bind with kitchen string. Place marrow bones in a small roasting pan, and add just enough cold water to cover (about 1 1/2 cups). Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil, and bake until marrow is opaque, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, keep covered, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, remove broth from refrigerator, and skim off any fat that has solidified on the surface. Return the broth to the 20-quart stockpot, and bring to a boil. Add remaining leeks, and cook over medium-high heat for 25 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add brisket, short ribs, chicken (cut in half), celery hearts, baby carrots, and potatoes, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add haricots verts, and cook until tender but still slightly crunchy, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside in a medium bowl; cover with aluminum foil. To the same water, add cabbage, and cook over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. Add turnips and cook until both are tender, about 15 more minutes. Drain, cut each cabbage wedge in half, and set aside in a large bowl; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Slice baguette diagonally into 1/2-inch slices, and toast on a baking sheet in the heated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• When all the vegetables are tender and the meats and chicken are warmed through, remove meats and chicken from broth. Prepare the meats and potatoes for serving (and keep them, covered, in a warm oven while you complete the process): slice the brisket into 1/4-inch slices. Remove bones from chicken breast; cut each half into three pieces, and cut legs from thighs. Untie short ribs, remove gristle, and cut each piece in half. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Adjust the seasoning of the broth with salt and pepper to taste. Divide meats, chicken, marrow bones, vegetables, and broth among eight serving bowls. Serve immediately with toasted bread, mustard, olives, cornichons, horseradish, and salt. Strain any remaining broth through a fine-mesh strainer, and freeze for future use.

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.

Steps:

• The day before: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the bones in a large roasting pan. Roast until browned on all sides. Place in a large stock pot with eight quarts water, onion, carrot, celery and herb bouquet. Season with pepper and simmer for four hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Drain, reserving the marrow bones. Cool the stock, strain it and refrigerate. Remove the marrow from the bones, place it in a container and refrigerate.
• Chop two cloves garlic in thin slivers. Lard the beef brisket with small pieces of the garlic and tarragon leaves and season with pepper. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Rub the chicken with lemon juice and put thyme leaves under the breast skin and season the cavity with pepper. Wrap and refrigerate.
• The day of serving: Skim the fat from the stock. Bring the stock to simmer, add the beef and simmer gently for one-and-a-half hours.
• Meanwhile, make the stuffing for the chicken. Soften the shallots and remaining garlic, chopped, in the butter. Season with pepper. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry. Combine in a bowl with the shallots, garlic and prosciutto. Add the egg and allspice and mix thoroughly. Stuff into the chicken and truss.
• After the beef has simmered for one-and-a-half hours, add the chicken. It should cook for two hours. After the chicken has cooked for one-and-a-half hours, add the tongue and garlic sausage. They should cook for half an hour. Remove the marrow from the refrigerator and set aside.
• Ten minutes later, add the potatoes, parsnips and carrots (if you do not have enough room, cook the potatoes separately). They should cook for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the celery and leeks. Cook the vegetables until they are tender (be careful not to overcook them). Meanwhile, toast the baguette slices.
• To serve, slice the meats and arrange them on a large platter. Place the vegetables in attractive piles around the meats. Ladle a little hot broth over everything, and serve immediately. Spread the marrow on hot toast and pass it separately.