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Author: Francine Lizotte
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by Francine Lizotte
- blade steak
- bouquet garni
- cabbage
- Canadian stew
- carrots
- French Canadian
- green beans
- pot-au-feu
- rutabaga
- salted pork
- turnip
- vegetables
- Beef
- Canadian cuisine
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- International
- One Pot Meals
- Pork
- Québécois cuisine
Just like any household, we like to cook our regular dishes depending on the season. Growing up, my mother made certain dishes during the month of September. As I told you in previous blogs, my parents had a garden and when harvest time arrived, my mother was quite busy with canning and cooking her “annual” recipes like along with Dill Pickles, Pesto 8 Ways – Part Two, Tomato Sauce including Marinara, and many more.
Using our fresh ingredients from the garden, there were Soups, Stews and other delicious comfort food recipes. There’s a popular one from the province I’m from that my mother made religiously every year (and still does) and now I make it as well. It’s Bouilli du Québec!
What’s that? In France they call it “pot-au-feu”. It’s basically a vegetable stew with meat in it. It’s a “peasant” dish, nothing fancy but it’s packed with flavor and also incredibly healthy! There are so many fresh vegetables going into this recipe making it a fall favorite back home.
There’s a slight difference between the Pot-au-feu from France and our Québécois style. We like to add salt pork to it which gives a nice nuance to the dish. When it comes to my version, I add much more to it than my mother does like a bouquet garni, some white wine and beef broth.
While I was filming this recipe, I was also making other recipes and I made a mistake. You’ll see me adding potatoes around 4:22 minutes in the video when they should have been added at the same time as the beans, during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Although the Bouilli du Québec was absolutely delicious, aesthetically it wasn’t as “good looking” as it could be. So to make sure there’s no confusion, scroll down for the directions.
For some of you who are unfamiliar with this dish, we like to serve it along with crusty bread like a Baguette or French loaf. In my family, we like to add some white vinegar to it. It brings all the flavors together. I couldn’t imagine not having it without vinegar. David, on the other hand, is not fond of it that way.
This Bouilli du Québec is comfort food with some wholesomeness to it. If you grew a lot of different vegetables like rutabagas, carrots, onions, potatoes and beans along with some herbs, this is definitely a recipe you just have to try. With all the fresh produce that is available, this is the time to make this popular “La Belle Province” recipe this fall and enjoy the flavors of this French Canadian peasant dish!
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other great Québécois recipes…
– Tarte au Sucre ~ Sugar Pie
– Old Fashioned Baked Beans with Bacon
– Tourtière
– Creton Maison
– Perfect Poutine with Bacon Gravy
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and for even more International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International
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Bouilli du Québec
This Bouilli du Québec is a healthy and wholesome stew. With a variety of fresh and tasty ingredients, it's a great recipe to enjoy!
5 from 5 votes
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Servings 8
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Passive time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (300g) salted pork Footnote #1
- 1 large sprig of thyme
- 3 large whole cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 tsp. whole mixed peppercorns
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 1/2 lbs. (1.164 kg) beef blade steak bone-in
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 12 to 14 cups water, or as needed Footnote #2
- 1 large rutabaga, peeled, halved and sliced
- 5 large carrots, peeled
- 1 large green cabbage, ends removed and quartered
- 3 to 4 large potatoes, peeled
- 1 lb. green beans Footnote #3
Directions
Make a bouquet garni by combining thyme, whole cloves garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf in cheesecloth. Tie it up tightly with kitchen twine and set aside.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and when hot, add blade steak and sear quickly, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Add salted pork, bouquet garni and onions; add enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.
Halfway through cooking, add carrots and rutabaga. Make sure the ingredients are submerged and if not, add more water. Bring the mixture back to a simmer by increasing the heat to high and then returning to medium heat.
When the first hour is up, add cabbage and bring the mixture back to a simmer (increase the heat then decrease it); set the timer for another hour.
When the time is up, check if the meat starts to break down and the cabbage starts to soften. If so, add green beans and potatoes and cook for another 30 minutes. Otherwise, cook for another 15 to 30 minutes before adding the last two ingredients. Serve with crusty bread and a little white vinegar (*see footnote #4).
Notes
Footnote #1: Usually, we add a whole piece of salted pork but when I bought it, I didn't realize it was sliced so if yours is like mine (sliced), wrap it tightly in a cheesecloth and tie it up with kitchen twine.
Footnote #2: When the meat is seared and the onions, bouquet garni and salted pork are in, cover the ingredients with just enough water. In my case, I needed about 12 cups.
Footnote #3: I love a mix of green and yellows beans. Unfortunately, the yellow beans are almost impossible to find here in British Columbia but if you do find some, I highly suggest adding both.
Footnote #4: It freezes very well. If there’s some leftover broth, keep it to make a quick soup (tomato juice, tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery and zucchini – cook and add pasta just before serving).
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