Pot-au-feu is one of the most traditional French meal, which litterally mean the pot on the fire. So historically it was more or less designating a stew very slowly cooked all day long.
Nowadays it is a specific beef stew with fall/winter vegetables that cook for 3 to 5 hours. Since the meat is boiled in water, you won't use the most noble parts of the beef. Rather fat beef parts actually, to make the broth more consistent.
Note that like with any stew it's always better served with bread.
Good news! It's a stew and everything will cook for hours, so you can do whatever you want! No gatekeeping here. Add more turnips, remove celery, introduce cauliflower, etc., it will still be delicious.
For 6-8 servings:
- 1.5 to 2kg beef:
+ 1/3 jarret or tail
+ 1/3 jumeau (or paleron)
+ 1/3 basses-côtes (boneless)
+ (optional) a few marrowbones
- 1 (or 2 small) onions
- 6 medium carrots
- 4 turnips
- 4 leeks
- 2 celery branches
- 6/8 medium potatoes
- 4 cloves
- whole grains of black pepper
- bouquet garni (wrapped up thyme, parsley and bay leaf)
For the meat check out the FR/US beef cuts
1. Cut the meat in large pieces (like 3/4cm cubes)
2. Add a large amount of cold water in a large pot (let's say more than 6L)
3. Add the meat in the pot
4. Be generous with coarse salt
5. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the fire to have it only slightly boiling, and be ready to skim regularly during ~1h/1h30
6. In the meantime, wash and peel your vegetable
7. Stab your onions with the cloves
8. For the cut:
+ turnips: cut in half or quarters if they're big
+ carrots: leave whole or in half if big
+ celery: cut the whites in halt, and add as much green part as you'd like (all will probably be too much)
+ potatoes: whole except if they're really massive
8. Add all your vegetables besides the potatoes, and the bouquet garni
9. Cook for 2-3h, with the water still slightly boiling. If you feel like there won't be enough broth, add more water as soon as possible.
10. 30 minutes before the end, add potatoes
11. If you want marrowbones, add them 15 minutes before the end, if there is enough room for them to be immerged. Otherwise cook them in another pot, immerged with some of the broth from the main pot.
12. Serve trying to give some of every vegetable to everyone, and be generous with broth.
Bon appétit!
