 |
| Japanese Turnips |
Serves 4
The once-upon-a-time French state of
mind known as of pot-au-feu, boiled meat and vegetables, seems so simple. Perhaps
the iron cauldron, probably the original stockpot, or pot au feu, originally
provided a perpetual broth fortified every day with whatever happened to be
available – rarely cleaned out except for the meatless weeks of Lent.
So it was that an 18th century cook started
her day by mettre le pot au feu,
putting a big stockpot over the fire. The "King of Chefs” Marie Antoine Carême
(1784–1833)
suggested that the dish
originated about the time of the French Revolution in 1789. Whatever its roots,
today precious few cooks make the time to prepare it – as time is now measured
in tweets, sound bites, and airport departures. There is no time for the
consistency of pot au feu.
Pot au feu is all about the broth and
it is not uncommon for a French recipe to call for the leftover broth as an
ingredient in a totally separate dish. Carême said that by cooking the
pot-au-feu slowly, “la ménagère a obtenu
un bouillon savoureux et nutritive, et un bouilli tender et de bon goût,”— the
[family] cook can obtain a tasty and nutritional soup and a piece of boiled
beef that is tender and tasty.
To make a pot-au-feu at home you’ll
need a large stockpot with a heavy bottom to evenly distribute the heat. Your
stove must be capable of being regulated to very low levels. On some gas
stoves, a heat deflector may be required.
Other required equipment includes a
large spoon for skimming the surface of the liquid, a large slotted spoon for
removing meat and vegetables from the pot, a strainer for straining the liquid,
and a towel or piece of unbleached muslin for lining the strainer. Depending on
the cut of meat, it may need to be trussed with string to hold it together. The
usual assortment of knives, bowls, and measuring devices found around the
kitchen will come into use.
Pot-au-feu is beef stew – choose cuts
of meat that benefit from long cooking over low heat. This would include rump
roast, top or bottom round, beef short ribs and shanks. There should be, by
weight, about one part bones for each five parts meat. Your butcher will cut a couple
of two-inch pieces of beef marrow bone for the pot.
The beautiful clear broth is achieved
by a long slow simmer of the meat set on a bed of root vegetables. The process
is to bring the stockpot of cold water slowly to a boil, carefully skimming the
scum and fat that floats to the surface. As the pot au feu slowly reduces, add a
little more cold water, bring to a simmer, skimming the surface again at least
three times in three hours until the liquid is quite clear.
Once the liquid is clear, remove the
meat and reserve. Discard the vegetables. Wet the towel or muslin with cold water and
line the bowl of the strainer. Place the strainer over a large bowl and pour
the broth through the strainer. Return the broth and meat to a clean pot and
add your choice of young tender spring root vegetables along with an onion
studded with cloves.
Maintain the heat at a bare simmer. Test
the vegetables for tenderness, and as they become cooked, remove them with a
slotted spoon and set them aside. The time it takes to cook the vegetables will
vary – I prefer tender spring root vegetables such as Japanese turnips. For a
beautifully colored broth use one sliced Golden Beet or a Spanish onion with
the skin left on.
Cook the meat until tender. The meat
should cook a total of about three to five hours depending on the cuts. The
meat should be very tender but still intact when it is cooked. It will shrink
substantially during the cooking. When done, remove it from the stockpot with
the slotted spoon and set it aside with the vegetables.
Once all the solid ingredients are
removed from the broth, skim any remaining fat from the surface with the large
spoon. Strain the broth a second time. The broth should now be very clear and
any pieces of meat or vegetables that were in the broth, along with the cloves
and peppercorns, should now be captured in the strainer. Season the broth with
a pinch of sea salt to your taste. Less is more.
The broth from the pot-au-feu is
customarily served as a first course before the meat and vegetables. Toast a slice of banquette and spread with
garlic. Put it in the bottom of a shallow soup bowl. Spoon the broth on top
and serve. For the main course, use the hot broth to re-warm the thinly sliced
meat and vegetables. I serve pot-au-feu with a few Cornichons and course brown mustard
or horseradish. Choose a bright Chablis.
Enjoy the your pot-au-feu – the very essence of time well spent.
Ingredients – Initial
simmer
2 medium leeks, trimmed, cleaned and halved
2 carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
2 stalks celery, halved crosswise
1 bulb fennel, sliced thickly
1 large Spanish onion, skin, studded with 4 cloves
2 pounds boneless rump roast or top or bottom round,
trussed with string
2 beef shanks, about two-inches thick
4 beef short ribs
2 beef marrow bone sections, two-inches thick
1 bouquet garni (rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender or as
you prefer)
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1
teaspoon
black peppercorns
Ingredients – Second simmer
2 bay leaves
6 small turnips, peeled and halved
2 new carrots, sliced on the bias
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into eighths
1 Golden beet, sliced
1 ½ pounds small new potatoes, halved
Accoutrements
8 slices French banquette, plus additional for passing
with marrow bones
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Coarse sea salt
Cornichons
Pickled onions
Grated horseradish
Dijon mustard
Whole grain mustard
Preparation:
In a large stockpot make a bed of the
leeks, carrot, celery, fennel and onion studded with cloves. Tie each piece of
meat individually to hold its shape during the long cooking time, and place on
top of the vegetables. Add 2 marrowbones to the pot, tucking them between the
meat, and the bouquet garni, salt and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover
and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer partially
covered for 3 hours, adding water as required and skimming any foam which forms
on the top.
Wet a towel or muslin with cold water
and line the bowl of the strainer. Place the strainer over a large bowl and
pour the broth through the strainer. Return the broth and meat to a clean pot
and add your choice of young tender spring root vegetables. Add the bay leaves.
Bring the broth to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for another hour or as
required. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon as they are cooked.
Remove the meat from the broth and
discard the trussing strings. Carefully remove the remaining vegetables from
the broth, place them on a large serving platter, and moisten with some broth.
Cover and keep warm.
Strain the broth and discard any remaining
vegetables. Carve the meat and place on the serving platter with the
vegetables. Cover and keep warm.
Rub the toasted banquette with garlic and place in the bottom of four
shallow soup bowls. Pour equal amounts of broth over the banquette and serve as
a first course. Pass the marrowbones at the table and serve with additional
toast for spreading the marrow. Serve the meat and vegetables as a main course
with desired condiments. Spoon additional hot broth on the meat and vegetables
just prior to serving.
