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Traditional Auvergne hotpot adapted with Morteau sausage. Here is my quick and easy recipe for a delicious family dish.
So this is not the traditional stew recipe because there is not one but several stew recipes. With specificities depending on the regions of France but also local or family traditions.
So I offer you my hotpot recipe, as I have always cooked it: a great influence of Auvergne hotpot with the sausage that rocked my childhood, the Morteau sausage. I sometimes replace the Morteau sausage with Montbéliard sausages, so we are using products from Franche-Comté, which is why I wouldn’t dare call my stew Auvergne stew.
Origin of hotpot and culinary tradition
The word hotpot comes from the container in which the dish is cooked. The pot, the cooking container, thus giving its name to the contents, the cooking dish. Today, hotpot refers to a meat dish with vegetables cooked in broth.
Note that we use the expression “a pot of…” to designate a large quantity of. No doubt because stews are often cooked for family portions and not small individual dishes. And as long as we’re talking about pots, as I like to explore expressions related to cooking, I’m talking to you in this article about the expression “it’s in old pots that we make the best soups”.
Which meat to choose for a stew?
I use half-salted pork shoulder. It is not necessary to desalinate it in water as you can read in some recipes. The latter recommend putting semi-salted meat in cold water and leaving it for at least an hour then discarding this soaking water.
You can make a mix of half-salted breast and shoulder.
Starting cooking hot or cold?
Both are possible, but I highly recommend putting the meat in hot water. First take the meat out so that it is at room temperature. Boil a large volume of water, without salting it. You can add a bouquet garni, peppercorns, coriander or juniper berries… Then put the meat in boiling water and lower the heat a little.
If you start cold, by putting your semi-salted meat in cold water then heating, you will need to skim a lot. Chef Jean-François Trap even recommends discarding this water during such cooking (start cold, skim off, when the water is simmering, discard it and continue cooking with clear water).
I admit to following the recommendations of my butcher and the instructions learned during my CAP cuisine.
Hotpot
The traditional Auvergne stew adapted a little with Morteau sausage. Here I give you my quick and easy recipe for a delicious family dish.
To prevent sleep
Cook the meat
Prepare the vegetables which are added at the end of cooking
PS cooking time is indicative because it obviously depends on the strength of your fire. Don’t hesitate to cook a little longer or prepare the day before and reheat at meal time.
Enjoy your food !
Enjoy