The fight against waste has become a necessity. But it’s not about giving in to monotony and culinary shortcuts, giving way to originality and gluttony. Hands-on exercise with the lovely pot-au-feu we prepared last week!
The strategic moment to avoid waste and optimize the conservation of leftovers is food storage. For example, we empty half of the broth from the pot-au-feu into a box kept in the refrigerator (for quick consumption) and the rest into bags of ice cubes that allow the broth to be stored in the freezer without smell. So it is very easy to grab individual ice cubes.
Take note of what you put in the freezer.
Depending on your needs and how long you have to cook, put half of the meat in insulated boxes in the fridge or in freezer trays, carefully noting the type of meat to avoid surprises when defrosting. The same goes for cooked vegetables. Here are four original ideas for recycling your pot-au-feu into tasty and clever recipes.
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The recipes
► Scoter burger with carrot rösti
Scoter burger with carrot rösti. /Emmanuel Auger
For two hamburgers, chop with a knife 150 g of leftover shoulder, add a slice of bread (previously soaked in water and drained), an egg yolk, salt and pepper. Mix well and shape into two round patties. In a salad bowl, mix two grated carrots, the white of one egg, a pinch of grated ginger, a pinch of nutmeg, a tablespoon of white onion chopped with the four-sided grater. Season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of honey, some parsley and finely chopped coriander.
Shape four carrot patties the size of ground steaks. Brown the carrots and steaks over a low heat in a non-stick pan, place the hamburger by sliding the meat between the two carrot rösti.
You can accompany this hamburger with a salad of aromatic herbs (chervil, tarragon, parsley, dill, etc.) dressed with a light vinaigrette.
► Fig cake, warm vegetable salad and citrus reduction
Fig cake, warm vegetable salad and citrus reduction. /Emmanuel Auger
The vegetables in the pot-au-feu, cooked for a long time, have a slightly soft color. Wake them up with an orange sauce: enchanted with its subtle spice flavors that will accompany this cake for four people.
First, spread 150g of puff pastry in a long cake tin, cut a piece of jumeau (recognizable by its marbled gelatin) and put it in the bottom of the tin, add the dried figs cut into pieces as well as the onion finely chopped tenderloin. Cover with 50g of dough, fold a small square of parchment paper to make a chimney, slide it into the center of the cake, brush the dough with olive oil before baking in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180°C. Meanwhile, reduce the juice of 3 oranges on a low heat with a pinch of coriander seeds, a star anise, a vanilla pod and a twist of pepper mill.
Watch the cooking until the liquid turns syrupy, strain and pour the orange sauce over the preheated pot-au-feu vegetables. Serve with the warm cake.
► Oxtail ravioli, broth with flavors from other places
Oxtail ravioli, broth with flavors from other places. /Emmanuel Auger
In a saucepan, for four people, heat a liter and a half of pot-au-feu stock to which you have added a star anise and half a cinnamon stick. Simmer while the ravioli is prepared. Chop the equivalent of 4 tablespoons of pre-boned oxtail.
Add to the meat a stalk of celery cut into a fine brunoise, a few coarsely crushed pistachios, salt and pepper. Moisten the edges of each wonton wrapper square (found at Asian grocers) with a brush dipped in a little water, put a small amount of meat filling in the center and fold the edges to form a kind of pyramid Make a dozen ravioli this way.
Reserve on a lightly floured plate. When it’s time to sit down to eat, dip the ravioli for a minute in the broth spiced with the vegetables left over from the pot-au-feu and enjoy with a large bowl of the fragrant broth.
► Pot-au-feu terrine in jelly
Pot-au-feu terrine in jelly. /Emmanuel Auger
Line a cake plate with transparent film, letting the film overflow the sides, spread a layer of vegetables from the pot-au-feu alternating colors, a layer of meat (scoter or twin) and so on. In a small saucepan, heat two ladlefuls of pot-au-feu stock. Meanwhile, soften four sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water, then drain and add to the broth off the heat.
Mix well and pour the broth into the terrine, slowly so that the liquid penetrates between the different layers of ingredients. Fold the film and keep the terrine overnight in the fridge. To cut 6 perfect slices, nothing beats the electric knife. Serve with arugula pesto or mustard and a green salad.