I still count feeding my family among the best moments of life , whether it's for a simple dinner or a feast day. Gathering around the table, breaking bread and simply enjoying one another's company is the easiest way of saying at the end of the day..."we made it...we're all here together and no matter what happens next, we have this moment so let's feast and reconnect because who knows what tomorrow might bring."
Certainly these last pandemic years have brought that emotion even closer to home for so many of us.
Many of us have begun to choose to stay closer to home, not by necessity, but because home is where we feel the safest. A glass of wine by the fire and a good bit of cheese holds the same comfort now as it did several hundred years ago, especially when it's shared with the ones that you hold dear. A good home-cooked meal isn’t just sustenance for the body, it’s food for our souls. Food memories are very strong memories and often they are what keep families together during the hardest of times.
Just last night I had the pleasure of making a slow-cooked pot of soup for my son and his wife before I left New York. Today was a busy day for them and I knew they’d have no time for a good dinner. So I went to their local market, bought an organic raw chicken, carved the meat off of it and hand ground it for meatballs and then turned the carcass into bone broth. It took quite a few hours, but by the time I was finished I had a beautiful soup for them. I added the fresh meatballs, vegetables, herbs and spices and quite a lot of love. It was my way of caring for them even after I’d left. It was actually one of the best soups I’ve ever made because I took the time to make it completely from scratch from start to finish using just one organic chicken.
It was cooked slowly and the result was terrific. I received a picture of them enjoying it tonight with a huge heart and a thank you. They’re shy, so I won’t share that , but it made my day knowing that I was still caring for them from so far away. My daughter in law is a wonderful cook herself, so I know that she’ll know what to do with any leftovers. She’ll take what I created for her and put her own touch on it. My son is such a lucky man.
All of these thoughts are leading me back to my love of Pot au feu.
Pot au feu literally means " pot on the fire" and it is a technique of slow cooking that I love and mastered many years ago. It's a simple technique. You make a pot of soup or a stew, enjoy it and next day put the leftovers back on the stove. When you get close to the end of the pot you'll add new ingredients to it and keep it simmering. It's a constant supply of savory deliciousness! A traditional Pot au feu is a beef and vegetable stew, but depending upon which French housewife I've spoken to, this definition works as well. Another name for this sort of slow cooked ongoing meal is "Perpetual soup" but I like the romantic sound of Pot au feu so much better!
In the wintertime when I'm writing daily, at the beginning of the week, soup always starts out in the crockpot simmering all day long. I love the way that it makes the house feel so warm and lovely and of course everything smells utterly wonderful. The next day any leftovers left go straight into my huge Mauviel copper pot and over the next weeks the ingredients changes every few days, reflecting what's leftover in my refrigerator.
For example, my Pot au feu last week started out as a classic beef stew with red wine, tomato and bay leaves and has slowly morphed into a spicy vegetable soup with the addition of lots more broth, several squashes, corn, peas and sweet potatoes.
Tonight I will take the pot out of the refrigerator and add beets, tomato, lots of onion, fresh herbs, red wine or ale, more chicken stock and several short ribs creating a vegetable beef soup that will last into the weekend. By Monday , I'll take what is left , simmer it some more and add some celery, leeks, peas, carrots, peppers and lots of mushrooms, ground beef , butter, cornstarch and half and half to thicken. Then I’ll put it into a cast iron pan and cover it with buttery mashed potatoes and a combination of shredded white cheddar cheese and parmesan, turning it into a delicious shepherds pie.
By then I'll have probably started another pot of something simmering in the slow cooker so that I have even more to enjoy for the next few weeks! As long as you refrigerate it every night it's completely safe and the flavor just gets better and better!
The beauty of this "recipe" is that it builds layer upon layer of rich flavor overtime while wasting nothing so it's a great technique for a family on a budget, whether that's a budget of time, money or both!
I don't think that there is anything as satisfying as a steaming bowl of soup or stew, unless it is a steaming bowl of soup or stew that is accompanied by a fresh loaf of crusty bread, ripe cheese, a simple salad and a glass of fresh local hard cider. In this house, that’s a perfect meal. I call food like this the art of soothing cookery because that’s truly what it is…soothing, comforting and healing.
The picture of the Mauviel copper pots is not mine. The pot I own is the large one on the right. That picture comes from the site Vintage French Copper. There’s lots there for you to enjoy if you love to learn about copper pots and pans as much as I do!