The Taste of Summer Vegetable Pot au Feu, A Movie Review, and the Weekly Menu #MoviesandMunchies

The Movies and Munchies film for May, chosen by Debra of Eliot's Eats, is The Taste of Things, a French Foodie film released in December 2023.

This film is in French with English Subtitles.  There is not a lot of talking in the film, however, just tons of footage of Eugenie and her boss/lover Dodin working together in the kitchen.  Those kitchen scenes are gorgeous, like a dance that has you glued to the screen.

Do NOT watch this movie if you are hungry. You watch and hear all kinds of dishes being prepared from start to finish.  There are beautiful ingredients and the sounds of chopping, sizzling, basting....you can almost smell the glorious foods as you watch.

Eugenie has been Dodin's cook for 20 years. Their love of food has extended into a love of each other.  Dodin wants to marry Eugenie, but she is content with the relationship.  She believes that being Dodin's cook is much more important than being his wife.

There is a backstory of a young girl, Pauline, who joins Eugenie in the kitchen as an apprentice.  Pauline is very young but already has an amazing palate.  I was captivated by this young girl as she tasted the food.  Her face expressed such emotion during these tastings.  It was a sight to see.

The film begins with Eugenie preparing a Root Vegetable Pot au Feu with freshly picked produce from the garden.  Later in the film, Dodin cooks for Eugenie and makes a traditional Pot au Feu, including the bone marrow.  It was fun watching Pauline as she tasted the marrow.  She did not care for it.  Dodin assured her that her palate would grow into it.  

I'm not so sure about that.  My Pops loved marrow and beef fat. My palate has never developed to accept those things.  I can, and have, eaten marrow spread onto bread as you would butter, but I'm sure my face looks much like Pauline's did when I do so. 

 

I was inspired to make my own Pot au Feu, a slow-braised stew, popular as a family meal in France.  I decided to use summer vegetables, so a long, slow braise wasn't necessary for this savory, delicious, hearty meal in only half an hour.

And here we are at the first week of June.  Hopefully, June will bring in some warmer weather.  We opened our pool in May, used it for 2 days, and then the temps dropped 20* for the rest of the month.

Tomorrow Little Miss M has a pre-school graduation ceremony that we are attending in the morning.  Then the Angel Face is hanging out here for a couple of hours in the afternoon. 

I am going to lunch and a craft show with Cathy and Sharon on Sunday.   Then I hope to get back into the swing of things and back on track with attending my exercise classes and getting in my walks.  I have been pretty lax since our vacation.  

Here is what I'll be serving up for dinners...nothing nearly as elaborate as the meals Eugenie provided Dodin.

Saturday

Build your own Pizzas

Sunday Supper

Frank's Cooking

Meatless Monday

Pasta Pesto Alla Trapanese

Taco Tuesday

Out for Mexican

Wednesday

Grilled Steak Salad

Thursday

Chicken Kabobs

Steamed Rice

Fish Friday

Macaroni Tuna Salad

Entrees, Meatless, Vegetables, Eat a Rainbow, Stew

Entrees

French

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Summer Vegetable Pot au Feu

Fresh summer vegetables in a savory, flavorful broth. A beautiful way to eat a rainbow and enjoy a meatless meal.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

• 2 t. olive oil
• 2 oz. frozen pearl onions, defrosted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1 large carrot, scraped and thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh parsley
• 1/2 t. thyme, crushed
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2-3/4 c. water
• 1 zucchini, cut into quarters, and sliced
• 1 yellow summer squash, cut into quarters and sliced
• 2 red potatoes, cut into small dice
• 3 oz. frozen baby peas, thawed

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook for a minute or two until fragrant, then add the white wine and cook until reduced by half.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in the squash and peas, cook for another 5 minutes, adding more stock or water as needed.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe found in Epicurious

Nutrition Facts

Calories

172

Fat (grams)

3 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

29 g

Fiber (grams)

5 g

Net carbs

24 g

Sugar (grams)

7 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Sodium (milligrams)

277 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

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Italian Vegetable Stew

Mediterranean Stew

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