Cookpot of Seasonal Vegetables — Ducasse-Inspired

About This Recipe

This dish channels Chef Alain Ducasse's 'cuisine de l'essentiel' — the philosophy that vegetables, treated with care, can be the headline of a fine-dining meal. Ducasse stunned the fine-dining world in 2014 by removing meat from the Plaza Athénée tasting menu in Paris, declaring vegetables the future of haute cuisine. This 'cookpot' (cocotte) is built on his approach: each vegetable cut to highlight its shape, gently stewed in its own juices with the lightest seasoning, finished with abundant herbs and a generous drizzle of the best olive oil.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4young carrots(trimmed, with 2cm green tops left on)
• 2 smallfennel bulbs(quartered, fronds reserved)
• 2small courgettes (zucchini)(cut into 4cm batons)
• 200 gfresh peas(or frozen)
• 200 gbroad beans(double-podded)
• 12baby new potatoes(halved)
• 4 tbspextra-virgin olive oil(plus extra to finish)
• 200 mlvegetable stock
• 2 sprigsfresh thyme
• 1 sprigfresh rosemary
• 0.5 bunchfresh chervil or basil(leaves only)
• 1 tspMaldon sea salt
• freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the base

   Heat the olive oil in a wide cocotte or shallow Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the potatoes and carrots and turn to coat. Cook 4 minutes until just starting to colour at the edges.

2. 2

   Add the slow vegetables

   Add the fennel and pour in the stock. Tuck in the thyme and rosemary. Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are nearly tender.

3. 3

   Add the quick vegetables

   Add the courgettes, peas and broad beans. Cover and cook 8 more minutes — the vegetables should be tender but still vibrant in colour.

4. 4

   Finish with care

   Remove the woody herbs. Season with Maldon salt and several cracks of black pepper. Drizzle generously with extra olive oil. Scatter abundantly with fennel fronds and chervil.

5. 5

   Serve in the cocotte

   Bring the cocotte directly to the table. Each diner serves themselves into shallow warm bowls. The cooking liquid should be enough to spoon over but not flood the vegetables.

Variations

• •

  Spring Version: substitute asparagus, baby leeks and fava beans.

• •

  Autumn Version: substitute roasted butternut, wild mushrooms and Brussels sprouts.

Storage

Best the day it's made. The vegetables lose their bright colour overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions