Warm Weather Vegetable Pot Au Feu Food

WARM WEATHER VEGETABLE POT-AU-FEU

Steps:

• In a large high-sided skillet or, if you've got one, a woklike stir-fry pan, warm the olive oil over med-low heat.
• Toss in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add in the onion and leek, turning them in the oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring gently, just until the onion and leek soften slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the potatoes and carrots, then pour in the broth.
• Toss in zest and lemongrass.
• Increase heat and bring the broth to a boil, then lower heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until the vegetables are just short of tender, about 10 minutes.
• *You can make the pot-au-feu to this point up to 3 hours in advance; cover and refrigerate; when ready to continue, bring the broth back to a boil, lower the heat so that it simmers, and cook gently until everything is heated through.
• While the vegetables are simmering, bring a skillet of water to a boil--you'll use the pan to reheat the eggs right before serving.
• With the pot-au-feu at a gentle simmer, drop in the asparagus and shiitakes; cook until tender, about 4 minutes.
• Scatter the spinach over the vegetables and cook another 2 minutes, just until slightly wilted.
• Taste for salt and pepper; adjust.
• Slip the eggs into the skillet of simmering water and give them just a couple of minutes to warm while you spoon out the pot-au-feu.
• Ladle the vegetables and broth into shallow soup plates, scatter with chopped fresh herbs, and finish each with a poached or boiled egg; serve immediately.

VEGETABLE POT AU FEU

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, combine the broth, water, salt, pepper and peppercorns.
• Tie the bay leaves, parsley, and thyme together using kitchen string to make a bouquet garni.
• Add it to the pot, along with the carrots, leeks, onions,turnips, potatoes and parsnips.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the celery hearts, re-cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Then remove the cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes longer.
• Remove the vegetables and arrange on a platter, (reserve broth for another use).
• Serve veggies with cornichons, tiny onions, mustard or horseradish and mayonnaise in small bowls; and french bread (all optional).

POT AU FEU

Steps:

• Place the beef and veal in a large pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Allow to cook at a lively simmer about 10 minutes, skimming the surface thoroughly during this time.
• Lower heat and add onions, leeks, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley. Cook at a low simmer for two hours.
• After two hours the meats should be fairly tender. Add the chicken, sausage and turnips. Skim the surface for a few minutes after these ingredients have been added, then cook an hour longer.
• When the ingredients have finished cooking, strain the contents of the pot by ladling them into a colander suspended over a large bowl. Wash the cooking pot, then pour the broth from the bowl through a very fine strainer back into it. Season the broth to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove the meats from the colander and set aside. Discard the leeks, parsley and bay leaves. Peel and quarter the onions. Cut the carrots and celery pieces into large chunks. Quarter the turnips.
• Arrange the onions, carrots, celery and turnips on a heat-retaining platter and cover with foil. If you are not planning to serve the pot au feu the same day, place all the meats on another platter, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate the platter of vegetables overnight. Refrigerate the broth overnight. Remove the ingredients from the refrigerator at least two hours before serving.
• To serve, cut chunks of the veal off the bone, remove the skin from the chicken and cut the meat from the bones in large sections. Cut the sausage in chunks. Trim all visible fat from the brisket and slice it thin. Arrange the slices on the platter with the other cut meats. Put the pieces of veal bone on the platter. Cover with foil. Place the meat platter and the vegetable platter in a preheated 200 degree oven to warm for an hour.
• Skim as much fat as possible from broth and reheat gently. Serve broth, with a little chopped flat-leaf parsley on top, in bowls. Pass the platters of meat and vegetables alongside, so guests can help themselves.
• Serve the boiled potatoes and green sauce alongside and have little dishes of mustard, horseradish, cornichons and coarse sea salt on the table as well.

SUMMER VEGETABLE POT AU FEU

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; cook until golden. Add the white wine; cook until most of it has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, stock, and 3/4 cup water; simmer 5 minutes. Add potatoes; simmer 7 minutes. Add squash; cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add peas and lima beans, and cook 2 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from heat; remove and discard the herb sprigs. Divide the vegetables and broth among four shallow bowls, and serve.

CHICKEN, SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLE POT-AU-FEU

Steps:

• Directions for Horseradish cream. Prep time: 10 minutes.
• Combine cream, mustard, horseradish and sugar in small bowl. Taste; adjust as desired. Can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
• Directions for Chicken, sausage and vegetable pot-au-feu.
• Heat oil in 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add sausages stirring frequently until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
• Remove from sausages pot and set aside.
• Add chicken, salt and pepper to pot; sear on all sides, about 5 minutes.
• Push chicken to side of pot; add garlic and minced onions to cleared side of pot. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add 3 1/2 cans broth, turnips, zucchini, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and bay leaf. Heat to boiling over high heat; reduce heat to simmer.
• Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.
• Add reserved sausages and more broth, if needed, during last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
• Serve from pot or transfer vegetables to warm platter.
• Skim fat from broth (gravy strainer works well) and moisten meat and vegetables with some broth.
• Pass remaining broth and horseradish cream separately.

MIRAVAL'S VEGETABLE POT-AU-FEU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the base of the pumpkin so that it will sit steadily. Cut off the top to create a lid and set aside. Scrape out the pulp and seeds. Spray the cavity with olive oil and rub it with the garlic. Place the lid back on the pumpkin, wrap in aluminum foil and bake on a sheet for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, season the vegetable or chicken broth with salt and pepper and warm. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and when cool enough to handle, gently peel back the foil on top and remove the lid. Place a layer of chicken in the bottom of the pumpkin. Top with the steamed couscous.
• Combine all the vegetables, stir in the oregano and basil and divide the mixture evenly over the chicken. Ladle the broth into the pumpkin, replace the lid, rewrap with the foil and bake for 20 more minutes. Serve immediately.

POT-AU-FEU OF SPRING VEGETABLES WITH CHIVE POPOVERS

Steps:

• To make the popovers, grease an eight-cup muffin tin with 1 tablespoon of butter. Put the egg, yogurt, milk, melted butter, flour, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Fill each tin 1/4 full and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon minced chives. Add more batter until each cup is half full.
• Put the muffin tin in a cold oven and set the heat to 450 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until the popovers are lightly golden, about 15 to 20 more minutes. Take popovers out of tins immediately. Cool on a rack.
• To make the pot-au-feu, put the lemon slices in a skillet, add salt, sugar and water. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Mince when cool. Put the minced lemon in a food processor or blender, add the roasted garlic and olive oil and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, pour the chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, leeks and cranberry beans. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer gently until tender, about an additional 10 minutes. Add the fava beans and simmer for 1 minute more. Using a slotted spoon, take all of the vegetables out of the pot. Set aside.
• Bring the broth to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until it reduces to 4 cups, about 10 to 15 minutes. Wreath the inside of 4 bowls with spinach and add the vegetables. Set aside. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the pureed lemon and garlic. Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle broth into bowls and garnish with parsley. Serve with popovers.