Pot au feu is often associated with hearty winter dish of beef and vegetable in broth. I did not even know it is simply a cooking preparation for things cooked in broth. Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table offered multi versions of pot au feu, ranging from beef to seafood to vegetarian versions. My take of her Warm Weather Pot Au Feu is not quite “warm weather” enough since spring and summer are slow to arrive this year in Ontario and I’m still enjoying many winter vegetable. My pot au feu is made with leeks, onions, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, morel mushrooms, asparagus, and kale topped with soft boiled egg. See how it’s a party of winter and spring vegetable all together in one bowl?
Even without the soft boiled egg, this vegan main course has plenty of robust flavours from the different sweetness of various vegetable. There is a certain meaty quality from the morel mushrooms which I absolutely adore. It used to stump me what to do with all the Jerusalem artichokes I receive from the CSA until I discover how much I like them simply boiled in broth. They are perfect alternative to new potatoes. I used kale leaves instead of spinach and they are more toothsome with less mineral taste. As for the soft boiled egg, I can now confidently claim that I’ve mastered the technique to reliably produce perfectly gelatinous centre every time! I am so excited about this skill that I want to top every dish out of my kitchen with soft boiled eggs. Someone please stop me before I go totally overboard.
Despite the fancy name, this dish is actually a very standard item on my regular menu. Whenever I don’t know what to cook, I would line up all the vegetable that I want to eat and cook them in one pot of broth. This one-pot meal has a huge variety of vegetable providing great source of nutrients. To supplement on protein, egg is the answer. I’ve been eating this way since my days as a university student and only learn of calling it pot au feu this week. Does it make my meals any fancier just because I can now call it in French?
If you want to know what other French Fridays with Dorie members did with their Warm Weather Pot Au Feu, check out the link here!
