Lou's chicken in the pot
A variation on classic French pot-au-feu, this hearty dish appealed to Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila when she dined at Lou, a new wine bar on Vine Street in Los Angeles.
“It’s sort of a Jewish-French hybrid,” owner Lou Amdur says, pig’s foot notwithstanding, it would seem. “The key thing to note is that the long-cooking technique, plus the reduction, yields a lovely, rich broth.”
Lou says it’s best gently reheated the next day in the broth.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the pig’s foot for 10 minutes, skimming to remove scum. Drain and reserve.
Cut 1 onion in half, place it on a baking sheet and char it under the broiler.
Add the charred onion to a very large stockpot along with the blanched pig’s foot, the short ribs, brisket, 1 1/2 gallons of water, bouquet garni and salt.
Slowly bring to a boil, skimming thoroughly, then reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Cover the pot, leaving a small gap, and continue at a low simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming every so often.
Add the chicken and continue at a low simmer until the chicken and beef are very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Add the remaining onions, the carrots, turnips, leeks, potatoes and cabbage to the pot and simmer over low heat 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Use a large slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables to several large baking dishes. Pour a few cups of broth over the meat and vegetables and tent with foil or cool and refrigerate overnight.
Strain and defat the remaining poaching liquid. Discard the pig’s foot. Pour the stock into two wide sauce pans and reduce by one-third. Cool and refrigerate if serving the next day. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, slice the brisket. Place the sliced beef and ribs on one side of a large platter, the chicken in the middle and the vegetables on the other side. Pour some of the reduced broth over all. Serve remaining broth on the side. Put the garnishes in little ramekins and serve alongside the platter to be added as desired to each serving.
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