The clue is in the name and pot au feu literally means pot on the fire, which is actually cooking in a saucepan. The principles are simple; the elements needing more cooking go in first…
Pot au feu
Ingredients
- 1 kg brisket or plat de côtes
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 leeks roughly chopped
- 4 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 turnip cut into 8 wedges
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- Sprig of thyme
- Sprigs of parsley
- 2 cloves
- 6 peppercorns
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- Place the beef in a large pot. Cover with water to a level about an inch (2.5cm) above the meat. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for one hour, skimming off the foam from time to time.
- Transfer to a slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Slow cook for a further 6-8 hours.
- If you wish you can serve the broth separately, but just before service we fish out the aromatics, cut the beef up and then put it back into the pot, which we put on the table. I love it with buttery mashed potatoes that ‘dissolve’ into the broth, but dipping in a buttery baguette also hits the mark – although, from what we’ve seen, it appears the French aren’t great dippers?
Dipping is considered poor manners in France.
I love pot-au-feu in Winter times. Best is if you select different pieces of beef; one with bones, one with gelatine, one lean. ox tail, marrow bones, brisket rib (queue de boeuf, plat de côtes, plat de côte découverts, os à moelle)
– tendinous pieces with collagen fiber : cheek, knuckle, slab (Joue, jarret( = gîte-gîte), le biceps ( = jumeau)
– muscles fatty and lean : short rib..( basse côte, persillé, collier) and shoulder (macreuse, aiguillette, paleron) Yhey don’t go in the pot at the same time as some need longer cooking. I start in the eve and it requires a minimum of 5 hours
Some people select vegetables for the broth and put later new ones for serving. Also sorry but Iwas told to never put the potatoes IN the broth as the starch would ruin the broth. cook them separately and seve them .
I serve it with different kinds of salt, mustards, pickled vegetables mostaza di Cremona, capers, gherkins, horseradish, roasted bone marrow and even a buckwheat Briton cake the Kig Ha Farz.
It’s “ROYAL” . With the left overs you can make a delicious salad on the next day.