World Recipes

French Boiled Dinner (Pot au Feu)

Pot au Feu means "pot in the fire."

1 1/2 pounds beef boneless chuck roast
1 marrow bone (optional)
8 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
1 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks
10 to 12 small carrots
10 to 12 small onions or 3 large
    onions, cut into fourths
3 medium turnips, cut into fourths
4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place beef, marrow bone, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme and bay leaf in Dutch oven. Add water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add chicken; cover and simmer 1 hour longer.

Add carrots, onions, turnips and celery; sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until beef and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove chicken and vegetables to warm platter; slice beef. Strain broth; serve in soup bowls as a first course.

Yields 10 to 12 servings.

French Bean Casserole with Pork (Cassoulet)

4 cups water
1 pound (2 1/2 cups) dried Great Northern or navy beans
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 pound link sausage, 1-inch pieces
6 slices bacon, 2-inch pieces
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Minced parsley 

Heat water and beans to boiling in Dutch oven; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Add enough water to cover beans if necessary. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until almost tender, about 1 1/2 hours (do not boil or beans will burst). Drain, reserving liquid.

Trim fat from pork; cut pork into 3/4-inch cubes. Cook and stir pork, sausage and bacon over medium heat until brown; drain. Place beans, meat mixture, carrots, onions, garlic and bay leaves in ungreased 4-quart bean pot, casserole or Dutch oven. Add enough water to reserved bean liquid to measure 2 cups.

Mix reserved liquid, tomato paste, salt, thyme, mustard and pepper; pour over beans. Add water to almost cover mixture. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

Uncover and bake until beans are of desired consistency, about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves. Garnish with parsley.

Yields 8 servings.

Fish with Green Grapes (Poisson Veronique)

2 pounds fish fillets
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or scallion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) seedless green grapes
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; fold in half. Place fish in 10-inch skillet; add wine, water, shallots and lemon juice. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until fish flakes easily with fork, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spatula to heatproof platter; keep warm. Add grapes to liquid in skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 3 minutes. Remove grapes with slotted spoon.

Heat liquid in skillet to boiling; boil until reduced to 1 cup. Pour liquid into measuring cup; reserve. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in skillet until melted; stir in flour. Cook and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in reserved liquid and whipping cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons butter; stir until melted. Drain excess liquid from fish; spoon sauce over fish.

Preheat oven to broil or 550 degrees F. Broil fish 4 inches from heat just until sauce is glazed, about 3 minutes. Garnish with grapes.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Fish Soup Provencale (Bouride)

Restaurants along the French Riviera serve this with garlic-buttered French bread slices.

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup butter or margarine
12 slices French bread
1 clove garlic, cut into halves
1 pound fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
6 slices onion
3 slices lemon
5 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
Paprika

Mix mayonnaise and crushed garlic; cover and refrigerate

Heat 1/4 cup of the butter in 12-inch skillet until melted. Toast 6 of the bread slices in skillet over medium heat until brown on both sides; rub one side of bread with half clove garlic. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter, bread and garlic.

Place fish in single layer in skillet. Add wine, onion and lemon slices, parsley, bay leaf, salt and just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until fish flakes easily with fork, about 6 minutes. Remove fish with slotted spoon; keep warm.

Strain fish broth. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the broth into 2-quart saucepan; gradually beat in mayonnaise mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.

Place 2 slices of the French bread upright in each soup bowl; spoon fish between slices. Pour soup over fish; sprinkle with paprika.

Yields 6 servings.

Fish Fillets with Spinach (Filets de Poisson Florentine)

Any time spinach is added to a French dish, it is titled Florentine.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Dash of ground red pepper
Dash of white pepper
1 cup milk
2/3 cup shredded Swiss or Cheddar
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach,
    thawed and well drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pound fish fillets, cut into serving pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika

Heat butter over low heat until melted; stir in flour, bouillon, nutmeg, red pepper and white pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minutes. Add Swiss cheese; cook, stirring constantly, just until cheese is melted.

Place spinach in ungreased 12 x 7 1/2-inch or 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Arrange fish on spinach; sprinkle with salt. Spread sauce over fish and spinach. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until fish flakes easily with fork, 20 to 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and paprika.

Yields 4 servings.

Crusty Potato Cake (Pommes de Terre Anna)

6 medium baking potatoes, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Arrange layer of potato slices in bottom of heavily-greased 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle with small amount of salt and dash of pepper. Repeat until all potatoes have been layered, sprinkling each layer with small amount of salt and dash of pepper. Pour butter over potatoes. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F until potatoes are tender, about 50 minutes.

Loosen edge and bottom of potato cake with a wide spatula. Place inverted platter over pie plate; invert potatoes onto platter. Cut into wedges to serve.

Yields 6 servings.

Apple Strudel

Apple Filling
1 bag tart baking apples, sliced and peeled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Topping
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Place apples in bottom of baking dish.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle on top of apples. Dot the top of all this with pieces of butter. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, sift together sugar, baking powder, flour and salt. Make a well in center of this mixture until it is all crumbly; then pour this mixture over apples. Bake until crust is brown, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.