I shop regularly at a neighbourhood market, and whenever people see me there organizing my list the question is: What are you making for dinner?
My answer is to tell them that my diet is based on a lot of variety, but that I mainly eat fresh, unprocessed, foods and I try to stay as local and seasonal as possible. I strongly believe that such foods are tailor made for our lifestyle, and naturally better. Of course, I can understand the craving for strawberries in January. And having to put out a new restaurant menu every month limits what I can play with - especially at this time of the year.
But the cold months also present many wonderful food opportunities.
Soups are at the top of the list. A favourite in my family is Petite Marmite (meaning little pot), which resembles bollito misto and pot au feu. Many recipes exist for this hearty meal, all starting with a good stock and adding meats and vegetables according to cooking times.
My first encounter with this delicious dish was in 1978. I was a young assistant entremétier in the kitchen at the Grand Royal Hotel in Courmayeur in the Italian Alps, part of a brigade of 18 cooks that served up to 120 customers at lunch and dinner.
That kitchen was a hard place to work in - hot and tight with grumpy old cooks and a young chef at the helm. Chef Fanzaghi was also my instructor at the cooking school I attended, but here he was not a teacher but a general. We would wait anxiously each morning for the stroke of 10, when he would post the next day's menu. I still remember the disappointed face of the sous chef after he returned to our station to tell me that at "the busiest of times" and "on the busiest day," Chef had written a menu with the dreaded Petite Marmite Henry IV.
In that kitchen, it was a dish that required several hours of preparation and attention. We always prepared all the ingredients for this soup separately, adding them to the clarified broth at the last minute for consistency and visual appeal. For your kitchen, I say add the ingredients to the pot as they are needed. Do not worry about the clarity of the broth, however do skim it a lot and pay attention to it. Your reward will come at dinner time. Here is how I do mine.
Petite Marmite Henry IV
Ingredients
8 cups chicken broth
1-pound veal shank, whole piece, washed carefully
2 legs of capon, washed carefully
10 ounces ground beef
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Parmigiano reggiano
1 egg yolk
Pinch of thyme
12 mini white potatoes, peeled
bone marrow if available
10 ounces pork back ribs, cut into individual ribs
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ inch circles
1 cup leeks, cut into ¼ inch circles
6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 cup zucchini, cut into ¼ inch circles
1 cup of Savoy cabbage, shredded and stalk removed
1 cup button mushrooms, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Crusty baguette sliced and toasted
Method
For this recipe it is best to use an enameled cast iron pot such as a Le Creuset. Boil the broth and add the veal shank, simmering slowly until tender, up to an hour and a half. Remove veal from the broth and set aside, wrapped and covered.
Add the capon legs to the broth and simmer slowly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the broth and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the meatballs: Mix the ground beef with the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, Parmigiano reggiano, egg yolk and thyme. Form about 10 1-ounce meatballs and set aside in the refrigerator to firm up.
Add potatoes, meatballs, bone marrow and the pork ribs to the broth. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender. Add carrots, leeks, garlic and zucchini. Cook for about 10 minutes and then add the Savoy cabbage and mushrooms. Season to taste through every step.
Remove the skin and bone from the capon legs and pull the meat. Return it to the pot. Cut the veal shank into large chunks and place in the broth. Simmer for 5 more minutes and remove the marrow bone. Shake the marrow out and spread it over toasted baguette. Serve the soup to your guests with a good grating of Parmigiano and the marrow toast on the side.
Makes six servings.