Pot au Feu
Download
The epitome of French family cooking.
You really do need a large le Creuset pan for this.
This meal is scaled down to a family of 4.
Ingredients
Method
Preparation
Prepare the carrots, potatoes, celery, turnips, cabbage, leeks in the usual way trimming off root material, extra growth, and skin as necessary. (The leeks may need an extra wash).
Cooking
Pre-roast the chicken at gas mark 6 (200 °C; 400 °F) for 30 minutes (without giblets).
Heat a little oil in the cooking pot and seal the beef.
Add the bouquet garni and seasoning.
Add the chicken.
Add two litres of stock and simmer the meats for 2 hours or until the meats start to go tender.
Add the potatoes, carrots, leeks and turnips and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the runner beans and cabbage and simmer for 15 minutes
To serve
Remove the meats to a platter.
Remove the vegetables to a platter.
Serve the broth as a starter course with toasted baguette slices.
Serve the meat and veg on a large platter with more broth as a gravy.
It is difficult to imagine the French cooking this without the addition of a little wine to the broth.
Variation
Add more meats for more people.