Pot au feu de boeuf
(Beef Stew) Recipe

Origin: France      Period: Traditional

Ingredients:

500g ox tail
500g lean beef
500g beef jelly (this is the jellied substance beneath the beef fat when you allow the fat from a roasting joint to cool in a bowl)
1 marrowbone
4 leeks, cut into 3cm lengths
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3cm lengths
1 celery stick, diced
2 onions, peeled
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bayleaf wrapped in a green leek leaf)
2 cloves
12 black peppercorns
sea salt, to taste

Pot au feu de boeuf
(Beef Stew) Preparation:

Method:

Secure the lean beef with butcher's twine so it retains its shape during cooking. Cut the oxtail into pieces. Stick the cloves in one onion and set aside. Fry the other onion (whole) until well browned then set in the oven to dry (this will help colour the stock).

Combine the meat, beef jelly and marrowbone in a large pot. Pour over 5l of water then season to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, skimming the surface often, until no more scum appears. Now add the onions, carrots, leeks, celery, garlic and bouquet garni along with the black peppercorns.

Return the mixture to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook, covered, for at least 4 hours (remove any fat that rises during cooking with a spoon). When done, remove the meat and chop (remove the meat from the oxtail bones) then discard the bones. Serve in bowls along with the vegetables and moisten with one or two ladles of the stock. Serve with cornichons and hot mustard.

The remaining stock can be used as the basis for soups or other beef dishes and makes an excellent starter beef stock.

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