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I decided to give another big classic of French dish a try – Pot Au Feu. According to Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles cookbook, Pot Au Feu is soul food for socialists. And if you want to make a Frenchman cry ? Make him a nice bowl of Pot Au Feu.
Pot Au Feu is basically a stew-like dish with big pile of boiled meat and vegetables. I personally think though this dish is good if you have a small bowl of it. The dish is so rich with so much meat that you will easily satisfied with just a small bowl. I asked my hubby if I made him cry (well, he is no Frenchman), he said almost. He said this dish was almost perfect if we didn’t over eat it.lol. Which I totally agreed with him.
It’s a really good dish to share with a big crowd 😉
POT AU FEU (4-6 servings)
1/2 lb beef brisket
3 pieces beef oxtail, cut 1 1/2 inches
3 beef short ribs
4 whole cloves
1 onion, cut in half
3 leeks, white part only
1 small celery root (celeriac), cut into quarters
2 carrots, cut into 4-inch lengths
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig fresh parsley, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf)
Salt and Pepper
2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut in half)
1/2 head of cabbage, cored and cut into 4 to 5 wedges
NOTE: Make sure you cut all the veggies in big chunks as directed. You want to maintain the structural integrity of the vegetables after being cooked
COOKING METHOD:
1. In the huge pot, combine the brisket, oxtail, short ribs, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and as soon as the water comes to a boil, remove from the heat. Set the meats aside and throw out the water. CLEAN THE POT (Sorry, you can’t be lazy here). Then put the meat right back inside
2. Push 2 cloves into each onion half and add the onions to the pot, along with the leeks, celeriac, carrots and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper and cover with cold water
3. Bring the pot to a slow simmer, gradually, and let cook over medium-low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender but doesn’t fall apart. Skim the cooking liquid with a ladle throughout cooking to remove scum and foam
4. Add potatoes and cabbage and cook for additional 30 minutes, until soft. Adjust the seasoning as needed
SERVING SUGGESTION:
1. Remove the brisket and cut into bite sized pieces. Arrange the oxtails, the meats, and vegetables in an attractively disheveled fashion on the serving platter and spoon some of the cooking liquid over and around it
OR
2. You can arrange the meats uncarved, with the vegetables around them, swimming in broth in a big, beautiful pie in a deep serving platter, and let your friends just tear at it like the savage animals they are ;b
