TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Pot-au-Feu
A foundation of French home cooking, pot-au-feu gently simmers several cuts of beef with root vegetables. Beef shank, short rib and tendon provide the stock, carefully skimmed for around 3 hours to produce a clear broth. The consommé-flavored Western-style dish familiar in Japan is a quickly cooked side using commercial stock granules; in the French version the meat itself leads. Served with coarse salt, cornichons and Dijon mustard, it is a Sunday main course in two stages: broth first as soup, then meat and vegetables.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Bone-in beef shankBone-in cross-cut slices. Rinse blood from the surface under running water.700 g
- Beef short rib block (boneless)Use as a whole piece. Tie at 3–4 points with kitchen string to prevent falling apart.600 g
- Beef tendonAdds richness to the broth in place of marrow. Blanch to remove odor and scum before use.300 g
- CarrotsPeel and halve lengthwise.4 pieces
- TurnipsPeel and halve if large.4 pieces
- LeekSeparate white and green sections. Cut the white into 4 cm lengths and wash the bases thoroughly. Use the green for the bouquet garni.2 pieces
- CeleryRemove strings and cut into 4 cm lengths.2 stalks
- OnionPeel and stud with 3 cloves.1 piece
- ClovesInsert into the onion.3 pieces
- GarlicLightly crush with the flat of a knife, leaving the skins on.2 cloves
- ThymeFor the bouquet garni.3 sprigs
- Bay leavesFor the bouquet garni.2 leaves
- Parsley stemsFor the bouquet garni.4 stems
- Black peppercorns10 peppercorns
- Coarse saltTo season the broth.15 g
- CornichonsServe at the table.12 pieces
- Dijon mustardServe with the meat at the table.4 tablespoons
Method
Wash and tie the beef
- 1 Rinse surface blood from 700 g bone-in beef shank and 600 g beef short rib under running water, then pat dry with paper towels.
- 2 Tie the short rib at 3–4 points with kitchen string to prevent it falling apart.
Prepare vegetables and bouquet garni
- 1 Peel 4 carrots and halve lengthwise.
- 2 Peel 4 turnips and halve if large.
- 3 Separate the white and green sections of 2 leeks, cut the white into 4 cm lengths and wash soil from the bases.
- 4 Remove strings from 2 celery stalks and cut into 4 cm lengths.
- 5 Peel 1 onion and stud with 3 cloves.
- 6 Lightly crush 2 unpeeled garlic cloves with the flat of a knife.
- 7 Gather 3 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 4 parsley stems and the leek greens and tie with string to form a bouquet garni, a bundle of herbs.
Blanch the beef tendon
- 1 Put 300 g beef tendon in a separate saucepan, cover with water and set over high heat.
- 2 Once boiling, cook for 5 minutes, drain in a colander and rinse away surface scum and fat under running water.
Heat while carefully skimming
- 1 Put beef shank, short rib and blanched tendon in a large pot, add 2.5 L water and place over high heat.
- 2 Just before boiling, a large amount of thick gray scum rises; carefully skim it away with a ladle.
- 3 Add about 50 ml cool water at a time and continue skimming until the surface is clear.
Simmer the meat with aromatics
- 1 When no more gray scum appears, lower the heat and add the bouquet garni, clove-studded onion, garlic, 10 black peppercorns and 15 g coarse salt.
- 2 Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 2 hours, keeping only a gentle trembling of the surface.
- 3 Remove floating fat and scum every 30 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the beef shank is tender enough for a skewer to pass through with almost no resistance.
Cook carrots and turnips
- 1 Add the carrots and turnips and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when a skewer slides easily into the turnips.
Cook celery and leeks
- 1 Add the celery and white leek sections and simmer for another 20 minutes.
- 2 Turn off the heat when the leeks are soft and wilted and a skewer passes easily through all vegetables.
Serve broth, meat and vegetables
- 1 Remove the bouquet garni, onion and garlic.
- 2 Carefully ladle away fat floating on the surface.
- 3 Cut the beef into bite-size portions and serve broth, vegetables and meat in deep plates.
- 4 Accompany with coarse salt, cornichons and Dijon mustard for each person to season the meat to taste.
About this dish
Pot-au-feu literally means pot on the fire in French. In 19th-century France, beef and root-vegetable stew appeared at Sunday tables across social classes, from urban workers to rural farmers. Slowly drawing flavor from meat and vegetables became widespread practical wisdom for feeding a whole family with limited ingredients.
There is also a particular serving order. French households first enjoy the clear broth as soup, then divide the meat and vegetables onto plates with coarse salt, cornichons and Dijon mustard. Two dishes from one pot also express a kitchen tradition of wasting nothing.
It remains a winter Sunday staple in homes throughout France, and leftover meat becomes salads or hachis Parmentier the following day. Unattached to any single region, this dish found in every household remains a reference point for French home cooking.
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