French Winter Dishes

une potée of pork shoulder, carrots, leeks, and white beans

I was debating if this should have been placed in the Pleasures of the Season series.  I love les plats hivernaux, or winter dishes, but I’m not crazy about the weather that comes along with it, so I decided in the end this was only a ‘half-pleasure’ and didn’t qualify.  Contrary to the image of sun filled lavender fields and never ending warmth, Southern France does get cold.  The Moscow-Paris, a bizarre metrological phenomenon with Siberian winds, came back this year.  Last year’s appearance was supposed to be a one in a life time experience.  We’re hunkering down again until it goes away. 

On any given evening, or a Sunday afternoon, preparing one of France’s multitude of les plats hivernaux is one way to ignore the wicked winds tapping at the door.  Seasonal dishes, such as pot au feu, tariflette, or cassoulet are just some of my favorites.  Pot au feu gets its name from the dish it is cooked in; anything cooked in a pot can be called une potée.  Cassoulet is finished in the oven covered with bread crumbs to give it a crusty top; it gets its name from the baking dish it is cooked in, a cassolette.

Les plats hivernaux often consist of legumes sec, or dried beans.  Other vegetables, such as leeks, carrots, or cabbage, which can either be conserved or grow in the colder winter months, are also used.  Potatoes didn’t arrive in France until 1772 when Antoine-Augustin Parmentier brought them back from Prussia, so they are a relatively new addition to the winter dishes.

Not only do les plats hivernaux warm the soul, but also they heat the house, as often a long cooking time is required, which is just enough time to enjoy the crackle and hiss of the fire and a glass of red wine to chase the cold away.