Pot au Feu
SERVES 4
Today, we're sharing another recipe from Winter Wild by Janice Sutton. This throwback to our time spent cooking at Dark Mofo's Winter Feast in 2019 brings back memories of the nourishing broth served to line the stomachs of festival goers, Pot au Feu.
Pot au Feu is a French stew made with a rich and complex beef broth, braised beef and seasonal veg for sustenance. It's an all in one meal that is incredibly comforting and deliciously hearty with coal roasted sugar loaf cabbage, black salsify and wakame. Though the perfect choice for Dark Mofo's Winter Feast, the stew can be enjoyed year-round using a variety of seasonal vegetables.
Ingredients
1 whole sugar loaf cabbage
6 large Black salsify
100 grams of Wakame
Variety of winter vegetables,
such as, San Tropez Onion, Turnip,
Radish, Chicory.
Small head of wild fennel pollen florets, to garnish
Small bunch of wild rocket flowers, to garnish
Pot-au-feu base broth
2 kilograms of diced chuck steak
2 kilograms of chopped beef bones
1 large onion
6 large leeks
12 celery stalks
6 medium carrots
4 parsley sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon of olive oil
40 grams of salt
12 litres of water
Method
Make the broth at least 8 hours ahead. To create the broth, roast the bones in a heavy based pan, over a medium-high heat - approximately 200°C - until well caramelized (approximately 15-18 minutes). Remove from the oven and set aside.
In another large, deep, heavy-based pot that can fit 18 litres of liquid, build your broth in layers. To prepare the ingredients, peel and quarter the onion, dice the celery stalks and peel and chop the carrots into a large dice. Next, wash and cut the leeks into 4 - 6-centimetre (2½ inch) lengths (white and pale green parts only). Set aside.
When the bones are cool enough to handle, cut the beef bones into chunks. Over a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil into the pan and add the onion, leeks and carrots, and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the roasted chopped bones and shin meat and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add about 2 litres of water and deglaze the base of the pot. Now add all of the other ingredients and remaining water. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a very slow simmer. Leave the broth to simmer for approximately 8 hours. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the cabbage in halve and brush the cabbage all over with olive oil. Wash and peel the salsify. Cook both of these over a charcoal grill until well caramelized and cooked through. The remaining winter vegetables can be lightly pouched and cooked until al dente.
To serve, assemble in a large bowl: the salsify, a quarter piece of the sugar loaf cabbage, an assortment of winter vegetables, some braised meat and then ladle over the broth to fill your bowl.
Garnish with wild fennel pollen florets, Wakame and wild rocket flowers, if available.
IMAGE CREDIT: JANICE SUTTON
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