Pot-au-feu

Simply put, this French classic is a stew-like dish of boiled meat and vegetables. However, it is not as simple as it might appear at first glance. Pot-au-feu, French for “pot on fire”, is one of the oldest French peasant winter dishes.

It was originally made over an open fire with cheap, inferior cuts of meat, vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks and turnips, and whatever other ingredients were available. The result was a savory stew that helped one make it through the cold season.

The use of tough cuts of meat and low cooking temperature means a long cooking time to make the meat tender, sometimes even an entire day. The dish is traditionally considered finished when the broth gets a gelatinous texture. As it is one of the most popular dishes in France, every region expectedly has its own twist on the dish, however, the common thread among all of them is that the broth is served first and the meat second.

With its wonderful aromas and succulent, tender meat, a serving of pot-au-feu paired with a glass of dry red wine is an authentic experience that is more than worth the time invested in preparing it.