{"id":4992,"date":"2011-12-23T14:44:26","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T22:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/?p=4992"},"modified":"2014-12-02T11:45:10","modified_gmt":"2014-12-02T19:45:10","slug":"goodbyes-cherished-moments-and-setting-fire-to-the-rain-my-family-pot-au-feu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/engine\/goodbyes-cherished-moments-and-setting-fire-to-the-rain-my-family-pot-au-feu","title":{"rendered":"goodbyes, cherished moments and setting fire to the rain: my family pot-au-feu"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Beef<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

goodbyes, cherished moments and setting fire to the rain:
\n<\/strong>my family pot-au-feu<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It rained on Mulholland as I ran to Adele\u2019s song \u201cSet Fire to the Rain.<\/em>\u201d Impeccable timing and the idea of setting fire to the chilly weather compelled me to run straight to the kitchen to make pot-au-feu<\/em><\/span> (pot of fire). I had no idea then that it would take on the significance that it now has. In the holiday spirit of sharing, this week I share with you my family recipe for\u00a0 pot-au-feu.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Beef<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Pot-au-feu<\/span><\/em> is a traditional one pot French wonder. The meat and vegetables cook in boiled water and a flavorful broth is created at the same time. It is usually made with less expensive cuts of beef (chuck roast or rump roast) but sometimes chicken is used instead of beef (or with it). Pot-au-feu <\/em><\/span>possesses the comfort of a winter soup and the elegance of a roasted meat and vegetable dish with a consomm\u00e9 first course. Hearty yet refined, pot-au-feu<\/em><\/span> can be served as two courses or as one.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Oxtail<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

When you make pot-au-feu<\/span>,<\/em> the meaty aroma fills your home and if you were not hungry when you started, your sense of smell will convince you that you are now famished. On this rainy day, the aroma beckoned my Yorkshire Terrior, Coco, to the kitchen. She stood in front of the stove, staring up at me, and let out a few demanding barks which caught me so off guard that I laughed out loud. Coco had not barked like that for some time. Her brown eyes were clouded over with cataracts, her hearing was largely gone (as were most of her teeth), she had arthritis in her back legs making it difficult for her to move. <\/span><\/p>\n

Coco celebrated her eighteenth <\/em>birthday in October and<\/span>\u00a0is evidence of the power of healthy food habits as well as the adage \u201cyou are what you eat.\u201d With an insatiable appetite, in eighteen years Coco rarely ate \u201cdog food.\u201d Rather, I cooked her meals or she ate cut up versions of what we ate (including fish, chicken, turkey, rice, eggs, pork, beef, and steamed vegetables). Her energy matched her appetite. She got into and survived everything: a few tangos with skunks (once she was sprayed in the mouth mid-bark); yard escapes which landed her on several busy streets; and, of course, encounters with larger dogs, cats, and some mice. The last time I heard Coco bark as she had when demanding pot-au-feu<\/em><\/span> was the coyote dognapping last May.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That morning, I let Coco out to the front yard to do her morning ritual. As I walked out to retrieve her, a coyote jumped the fence, grabbed Coco in its jowls, jumped back over the fence, and ran up the street with Coco in its mouth. I took off after the coyote but was not fast enough. I grabbed my keys, jumped in the car and took off after the beast. I found the coyote (Coco still in its mouth) in a neighbor\u2019s yard. Trapping the coyote between the house, a hedge, and my car, I got out of the car and charged the coyote screaming at it to let my dog go. It did. Coco laid in the grass, lifeless. I scooped her up, put her in my lap, and drove to the vet\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barefoot and still in my nightgown, the vet\u2019s assistant nervously tried to avert his eyes from my appearance as he told me they wanted to keep Coco for a few hours for observation. After attending Mother\u2019s Career Day at my girls\u2019 school (why is it everything happens at once?), I returned to the vet\u2019s office to collect Coco. There she stood in the kennel cage, shaved, but unharmed and barking just like she recently did in front of the stove (demanding put-au-feu<\/span>). <\/em>She wanted to go home; she missed her breakfast and she wanted it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Coco died on December 16, one week ago. She was part of our family and a companion to me for 18 years: I was walking her when I went into labor with my oldest daughter, both of whom she curiously greeted when we came home from the hospital; she comforted me in times of loss; she survived law school, culinary school, one husband, three homes and three apartments; she has seen friends and lovers come and go. Like all animals, she asked very little and gave us so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The holiday season brings with it reflection. I have been thinking a lot of our little Coco as well as what defines a holiday meal and what defines a family.\u00a0 It seems to me that what constitutes a holiday meal is similar to what constitutes a family: both definitions are defined by you and anything goes.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I intended to post something entirely different for the holidays, pot-au-feu<\/em><\/span> seemed like a better idea because it is a meal with substance that is not limited to a particular religion, country, time of year, or financial means. A holiday meal, even one as simple as pot-au-feu<\/em><\/span>, that is prepared with love, can nourish our bodies, raise our spirits, and even give an old dog a voice everyone thought she lost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a couple of production notes. First, for the most flavorful meat, generally the meat is added to boiling water; however, in doing so the broth flavor suffers. To remedy this, brown the meat and the vegetables first (giving the meat a boost in flavor) and then add cold water to the browned meat and vegetables (adding cold water to the meat makes the best broth). Second, I use oxtail (which you can buy from your butcher) to bolster the broth. However, if you do not have oxtail you can substitute some beef broth for some of the water. Knowing that some of you will do this, I wrote the recipe using minimal salt. Taste the warm broth once strained and degreased and add salt and pepper as needed. If you used beef broth, you will need far less salt than if you had used only water. Third, it is essential that you degrease the cooking liquid well. The easiest way to do this is to cool the cooking liquid, remove the solidified fat from the top, and then reheat the liquid. Pot-au-feu <\/em><\/span>stores well in the refrigerator and the left-overs are just as good, if not better than the first time around.<\/span><\/p>\n

When my daughters and I said our goodbyes to Coco, it began to rain again. Both the lyrics in Adele\u2019s rainy song of goodbye and \u00a0pot-au-feu<\/span><\/em> had a different meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

I share our family pot-au-feu <\/em><\/span>recipe with you along with the sincere wish that the making of this humble \u201cone pot wonder\u201d will bring you and your family the comfort and peace of the holiday season and will create beautiful memories for you (as it did for us) that you will carry with you throughout your years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wishing you Bonnes F\u00eates <\/em><\/span>(Happy Holidays), Joyeux No\u00ebl<\/em><\/span> (Merry Christmas), Bonne Ann\u00e9e <\/em><\/span>(Happy New Year), et toujours<\/em>, un bon app\u00e9tit<\/em> …<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LM<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Beef<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0pot-au-feu<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

stats:<\/span><\/p>\n

serves 6-8<\/span><\/p>\n

2 hours cooking time<\/span>
\n 3 hours total<\/span><\/p>\n

what you need:<\/span><\/p>\n

meat and broth<\/span><\/p>\n

3 pound chuck (or rump) roast, trimmed<\/span>
\n 1 pound oxtail<\/span>
\n kosher salt (as needed)<\/span>
\n freshly ground pepper (as needed)<\/span>
\n 1 tablespoon unsalted butter<\/span>
\n 1 cup diced carrots<\/span>
\n 1 cup sliced leeks<\/span>
\n 1 cup diced sweet onions<\/span>
\n \u00bd cup diced celery<\/span>
\n 1 tablespoon tomato paste<\/span>
\n \u00bc cup dry red wine<\/span>
\n 8 cups cold water\u00a0<\/span>
\n 1 bouquet garni<\/em> (fresh Italian parsley, thyme and 2 bay leaves)<\/span>
\n 2 teaspoons sel de Gu\u00e9rande <\/em>(or sea salt)<\/span>
\n 1 teaspoon black peppercorns<\/span><\/p>\n

new vegetables<\/span><\/p>\n

16 baby fingerling potatoes<\/span>
\n 4 medium carrots, trimmed and cut b\u00e2tonnet (or 16 baby carrots, trimmed)<\/span>
\n 4 celery stalks, cut b\u00e2tonnet\u00a0<\/span>
\n 10 baby bok choy, trimmed<\/span>
\n 12 young Tokyo turnips (optional), trimmed<\/span>
\n 12 pearl onions (optional),\u00a0 trimmed and peeled<\/span>
\n kosher salt (to taste)<\/span>
\n freshly ground black pepper (to taste)<\/span><\/p>\n

how to:<\/span><\/p>\n