Pot-au-Feu

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3⅓ lb) beef brisket, tied with kitchen string
• 500 g (1 lb) beef shin, bone-in
• 3 litres (12 cups) cold water
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 onions, one studded with 3 cloves
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley stems)
• 6 black peppercorns
• 6 carrots, peeled
• 4 turnips, peeled and halved
• 3 leeks, trimmed and tied in a bundle
• 2 celery sticks
• 6 small potatoes
• Dijon mustard, cornichons, coarse salt and horseradish, to serve

Steps

1. Put the brisket and shin in a large pot with the cold water and salt. Bring slowly to a boil over medium-high heat, about 20 minutes, and skim the grey foam as it rises.
2. Add the onions, bouquet garni and peppercorns. Reduce the heat to the barest simmer, and partly cover. Cook for 2 hours.
3. Add the carrots, turnips, leeks and celery. Cook for 45 minutes more, until the beef gives easily when pierced.
4. Add the potatoes for the last 20 minutes, or boil them separately in some of the broth if you prefer a clearer soup.
5. Lift the beef onto a board and rest for 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
6. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and skim off the fat. Taste and adjust the salt.
7. Slice the brisket against the grain and arrange it with the shin meat and vegetables on a platter. Moisten with a little broth.
8. Serve the broth first in warm bowls, then the meat and vegetables with mustard, cornichons and salt.

Notes

• Marrow: if you add a marrow bone, serve the marrow on toast with salt.
• Slow start: starting in cold water draws flavour into the broth; a hard boil makes it cloudy and the meat stringy.
• Leftovers: make hachis parmentier, or slice the cold beef for a salad with vinaigrette.
• Make ahead: it is better the next day; chill the beef in its broth, keep 3–4 days, and reheat gently.
• Freezer: the strained broth and meat freeze 3 months; leave out the vegetables, which go soft.