Well, we promised you a delicious, hearty winter-warmer, so
that’s exactly what you’re getting this week – it’s Pot au Feu! This classic French dish is a staple during the winter
months and it’s got everything you might want on a cold January night after
work. Literally translated as "pot on the fire", (doesn’t get much
cosier than that, eh?!) this dish uses mostly winter vegetables and the best
cuts of beef for stewing. It is one of Carine’s favourite classic slow-cooked
stews - earthy; meaty and full of vegetables, served in a clear broth which is
– and here we quote – “scrumptiously delicious”.
Sounds pretty good, huh? Let’s get started! This recipe
serves 6 people, and can be a real showstopper, or you can simply keep it all
for yourself and have it several days in a row!
Ingredients
- 1.5kg Beef (choose the best cuts for stewing – we recommend oxtail, cheeks, brisket or additional lean beef)
- Beef bones for deeper flavour (optional)
- 3 large carrots
- 2 sticks of celery
- 2 potatoes
- 2 turnips
- 2 medium leeks
- 1 onion
- 5 cloves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Bouquet Garni (2 bay leaves, 5 fresh sprigs of thyme, parsley – traditionally tied together with cooking string, but this isn’t strictly necessary!)
- 1 beef or vegetable stock cube (optional)
- 10 black peppercorns
- Coarse sea salt (to taste)
Method
1) Tie your meat with cooking
string to help it keep its shape while it cooks. If you can’t find cooking
string, cut the meat into big chunks instead.
2) Peel the carrots, wash your
leeks and celery, then cut all into large chunks.
3) Peel your onion and stud it
with the cloves.
4) Place your meat, stock, and bones if you have them in a
large pot and add 5 litres of cold water.
5) Bring to the boil and skim the broth regularly, removing
the foam.
6) Once the mixture no longer forms a foam on the top, turn
down the heat and add the rest of the ingredients.
7) Bring the mix back to the boil, cover it then let it
simmer over a very low heat for a minimum of 4 hours (if you have a
slow-cooker, you can use this, turning the setting to “Low”).
8) To serve, remove the meat and vegetables from the broth
and place them on a plate, then ladle over a little broth. Carine serves her pot au feu with Dijon mustard or Dijon
Mayonnaise, but we’ll leave your condiment choices up to you.
Bon appetite! We hope this warms your cockles. If you do
have a go making this at home, get in touch on Twitter and let us know –
we’d love to hear how you got on!
