Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (2024)

Bouilli or pot au feu québécois is a traditional beef stew from Québec, Canada. Inspired by the famous dish ‘pot au feu’ from France—a simple stew made of root vegetables, beef, and pork belly simmered until tender.

As a kid, Ivisited my grandparentsonce or twice a year. They lived in a small and remote village far away in the forest called Lac-des-Aigles (Eagles Lake). We would always arrive in the late afternoon, and the cast iron pot would already be doing its magic on the stove for hours.A succulent and traditional meat stew calledBouilli was the typical welcome smell of my grandma’s place. Such a treat!

A Winter Stew

Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (1)

This recipe is a flashback to those pleasant visits to my grandparent’s place. My grandma would make this recipe from September, when the root veggies were fully grown, until the end of winter. As one knows, Quebec, my homeland, has inherited a lot from its cousins from France, including the language, justice system, and gastronomy. However, everything took a slightly different direction, and it’s also true with Pot au Feu.

French Pot au Feu vs. Canadian Bouilli

A popular peasant dish in both France and Quebec, this dish is considered by many to be anincontestablecomfort food. However, the French version often contains leeks, while the French Canadian version uses onions and adds green or yellow beans. Another difference is the type of meat; in Canada, we usually adda piece of salted pork belly(Lard salé), which is common in any Canadian stews. However, they solely use beef pieces and extra bone marrow in France.

Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (2)

TheTechnique

The recipe is simple; you only need a good old Dutch oven, patience, and an eye on the pot’s liquid. It’s a slow and long cooking stew with many veggies like rutabagas (or turnips), carrots, potatoes, beans, onions, and cabbage. But also plenty of beef cuts like chuck roast, Bottom Sirloin Flap, oxtail, brisket, and a piece of salted pork belly.

To prevent the stew from boiling, we cover the pot with thelid and always leave a tiny crack to let the extra heat escape. This way, you’ll get a perfect simmer, tender the meat, and steam the veggies to perfection without blurring the broth.

Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (3)

Bouilli is a “kind of” stew without as much liquid. It contains about half the liquid of a regular stew. The goal is always to check for the meat tobe covered by water,although the many veggies will stay on top of the liquid; there is no mixing. The secret here is to simmer gently and for a long time without moving the stew around. This way, you’ll collect all the residual water fromthe “steamed” veggies and steam them up without getting saggy.

The result is a tender and dreamy merge of all the ingredients with just a touch of the tasty brothtocover the bottom of the plates. Back in the day, Pot au feu used to be served in 2 different dishes: first, the broth or soup, and afterward, the meat and veggies as the main.

To Serve with…

Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (4)

The only personal touch of mine in this version of Pot au feu is the garlic clove sinceI’ve been living abroad in Spain… I have this habit ofadding garlic everywhere.

To Serve with

In my family, we like to serve this dish with a nice fresh, buttered white loaf slice of bread to accompany it and soak all that yummy broth. Other sides are pickled beets or pickles to get a little acidic kick. To make it more pleasant for the eyes, little bundles with the beans make them easier to pick up in the end, too.

Other Nice Stews

  • MOLE MEXICAN BEEF STEW
  • GUINNESS BEEF POT PIE
  • BEEF BOURGUIGNON PASTA

So, let’s start and make good use of that iron cast!

Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (5)

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Bouilli or pot au feu québécois

5 from 31 votes

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 553

Beef Bouilli or pot au feu québécois is a traditional beef stew in Québec, Canada inspired by the famous dish ‘pot au feu’ from France. A simple stew made of roots vegetables, beef and pork belly slowly cooked until perfection.

Equipment

  • 1 big dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 1 k chuck roast, bottom sirloin flap, oxtail or brisket
  • 300 g salted pork (pancetta)
  • 10 carrots
  • 400 g green beans (pack of 10 in string)
  • 2 rutabaga or turnip
  • 3 onions
  • 1/2 white cabbage
  • 4 potatoes
  • 1 garlic clove (*optional)
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 3 cloves
  • salt and pepper

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

  • Start by searing the beef and pork with a bit of clarified butter or olive oil in a big Iron Cast pot, high heat until brown on each side.

  • Add the bouquet garni and cover the piece of meat (2cm over) with water.

  • Let simmerfor two and a halfhours, covered (leavinga small opening to let the heat escape and prevent the stew from boiling),making sure there is always water in the pot.

  • Cut all the veggiesinto thick pieces, except the carrots, potatoes, and onions (with cloves stuck in them).

  • Addall the veggies, except the green beans, on top of the meat, and make sure there is always enough water to cover the pieces of meat, salt, and pepper.Cover and simmerfor another 30 minutes.

  • Make little bundles with thegreen beansand attach them with the help of a string; add them on top of the stew, cover,and simmerfor 30 more minutes.

  • Check and adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper).

Notes

After 3.5 to 4 hours of slow cooking, the stew is finally ready, and the meat gets ultra tender and breaks easily. Take out the cloves from the onions and serve with some broth.

Sides to serve with this dish would be fresh white bread with butter and lovely pickled beets or pickles.

Author: Marie Breton

Calories: 553kcal

Course: Plato principal

Cuisine: Francesa

Keyword: beef, bouilli, pot au feu, quebecois, stew

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 433mg | Potassium: 1760mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 13298IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition Facts

Bouilli or pot au feu québécois

Amount per Serving

Calories

553

% Daily Value*

Fat

25

g

38

%

Saturated Fat

8

g

50

%

Trans Fat

0.1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

3

g

Cholesterol

102

mg

34

%

Sodium

433

mg

19

%

Potassium

1760

mg

50

%

Carbohydrates

47

g

16

%

Fiber

10

g

42

%

Sugar

14

g

16

%

Protein

37

g

74

%

Vitamin A

13298

IU

266

%

Vitamin C

66

mg

80

%

Calcium

175

mg

18

%

Iron

6

mg

33

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (6)
Bouilli or Pot au Feu Québécois - The FoodOlic recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the national dish of pot-au-feu? ›

'pot on the fire') is a French dish of slowly boiled meat and vegetables, usually served as two courses: first the broth (bouillon) and then the meat (bouilli) and vegetables. The dish is familiar throughout France and has many regional variations.

What is the difference between pot roast and pot-au-feu? ›

A Pot-au-feu is not a stew as we Brits understand it. It is more of a pot roast. The striking difference for me is that the end dish is served in two distinct ways. First they serve the soup made simply of the cooking broth as it comes, or sometimes with some vermicelli pasta added.

What is pot-au-feu in english? ›

The iconic French dish pot-au-feu, or "pot on the fire," is a stew composed of meat — typically an assortment of beef cuts — along with carrots, potatoes, and an array of other vegetables.

What is France's most famous food? ›

What is France's national dish? There are many options to choose from, but France's national dish is probably the Boeuf Bourguignon. Well known in and outside France, it represents the beauty of the cuisine by transforming a simple piece of meat into an intensely flavored dish, only composed with national ingredients.

What is the oldest perpetual stew? ›

Wikipedia shares that one perpetual stew was allegedly kept going in Perpignan, southern France, from the 15th century till World War II, when its custodian ran out of ingredients to keep it going during the German occupation.

What do you drink with pot-au-feu? ›

This generous and extremely fragrant dish goes wonderfully with Rhône Valley tannic and expressive red wines so long as they are young but also with lighter red wines such as Beaujolais or Loire Valley wines that add a certain amount of freshness to the meat.

Is pot roast better in oven or crockpot? ›

It's delicious both ways. If you want to give your crock-pot a whirl, here's a slow cooker pot roast recipe for you. But pot roast is plenty easy to make in the oven! You do all the browning and roasting all in the same pot and it requires less time than in a slow cooker roast.

What is France's national dish? ›

The national dish of France is Pot-au-Feu and is a classic comfort dish prepared using stewed meats and vegetables.

What vegetables are best in a hotpot? ›

Hot Pot Ingredient List. Hearty and leafy, look for greens that retain texture after cooking like bok choy, watercress, snow pea leaves, Napa cabbage, Chinese spinach, gai lan and green onions. Look for daikon, carrots, small potatoes and either cut into cubes or thinly sliced.

What is a fun fact about pot-au-feu? ›

Pot au Feu, which literally translates to 'pot in the fire', started its life in working-class homes as a way to make less expensive cuts of beef more tender and palatable. Think of the original crockpot. The long slow cooking resulted in 2 dishes: a clear nourishing broth and a rich meal of beef and vegetables.

Is Pho based on pot-au-feu? ›

While most historians agree that pho was invented in the late 19th and early 20th Century in northern Vietnam during French colonial times, its origins are murky. Some believe pho was an adaptation of the French one-pot beef and vegetable stew pot-au-feu, which shares a phonetic similarity to "phở".

What does Feu mean in French? ›

1. fire. prendre feu to catch fire. faire du feu to make a fire.

Is pot-au-feu the same as bulalo? ›

Pot au feu is similar to the Spanish cocido and the Filipino bulalo; however, leeks are used instead of onions, and turnips are added for sweetness. It is also served with hot mustard and gherkins on the side.

Who is the owner of pot-au-feu? ›

SHARP TOUCH: Bob Burke, owner of Pot au Feu in Providence, with the saber he uses to open bottles of Champagne.

What is Portugal's national dish? ›

Bacalhau

The national dish of Portugal, bacalhau is dried and salted codfish, which is usually soaked in milk or water before cooking. The Portuguese have been eating bacalhau since the 16th century when their fishing boats brought it back from Newfoundland.

What is Turkey's national dish? ›

Kuru fasulye is often served along with cacık and rice or bulgur. It is often considered the national dish of Turkey. An annual kuru fasulye festival is held in Kaymaz, Sivrihisar. Its counterpart in Greek cuisine is called fasolada.

What is Mexico's national dish? ›

Mole poblano is perhaps the best known of all mole varieties. An ancient dish native to the state of Puebla, it has been called the national dish of Mexico, and ranked first as the most typical of Mexican dishes.

What is South Africa's national dish? ›

Considered by many to be the South African national dish, Bobotie (pronounced ba-bo-tea) is a meat-based dish and one of the most well-known examples of Cape Malay cuisine.

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