Cocotte de Légumes (it’s Vegetables y’all)
The French are not afraid of vegetables and this recipe c’est magnifique. Minestrone soups never rated highly in my world (perhaps because a French person never made me any…). A hearty beef stew with chunks of veggies generally falls into the meh category. So, my hopes were not high with this recipe. I thought it would be something likened to a cross between the aforementioned, but no. It is simple and amazing—with the added bonus of another dandy excuse to haul out the Le Creuset Dutch oven (I suppose we should refer to it as a French oven today). A hearty stand-alone lunch or as part of dinner, either will warm you from the inside out.
And, for you Whole30 people, don’t let the Légumes confuse you it has no legumes (a.k.a. beans) that is merely French for ‘vegetables.’
Cocotte de Légumes
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 10-15 min.
Cook Time: 50 min.
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 3 lbs. of mixed vegetables (carrots, leeks, green beans, fennel, celery, broccoli, squash, and beets), peeled, rinsed, and cut into medium pieces
- 1 pear, peeled and cut in half
- 1 apple, peeled and cut in half
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Recipe:
Put the Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the oil and shallots and cook for 2 minutes.
Add all the remaining ingredients through lemon juice, plus 1⁄2 cup water.
Mix, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover.
Cook for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Some of the vegetables will still be a bit firm while others will be soft.
Serve hot.