Slow-simmered pot au feu two ways

Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 3 ½ hours (largely unattended) Makes: 8 servings and 3 quarts broth

The first seasoning option offers a classic flavor while the second set of options, including rice wine, star anise and edamame, yield subtle Asian flavors. I like to use small baby carrots (not the machine-tumbled false baby carrots for snacking — they have no flavor) when I can find them. Alternatively, buy skinny larger carrots and cut them crosswise in half.

For the simmer and the broth:

2 to 3 pounds beef shanks or bone-in beef chuck roast or lean brisket

4 fresh (uncooked) Polish sausages or bratwursts, 1to1 ¼ pounds, OR 12 ounces fully-cooked andouille or chicken chorizo sausages

4 to 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks,

1 ¼ pounds total

2 to 4 thickly sliced strips smoky bacon, optional

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 medium onion, peeled

1 large carrot, trimmed, roughly chopped

1 rib celery, roughly chopped

3 slices fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter

1 cup dry white vermouth or dry white wine OR unsweetened rice wine

Seasoning options:

4 bay leaves, 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon dried tarragon OR

3 pieces star anise and 2-inch piece cinnamon stick

For the final platter:

8 to 12 long baby carrots (8 ounces), peeled, trimmed, OR 6 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise

3 small turnips, peeled, cut into ½-inch thick wedges OR a 10-ounce chunk of daikon radish, peeled, halved, thickly sliced

½ of a 12-ounce bag frozen pearl onions or 8 ounces fresh pearl onions, peeled

1 cup frozen lima beans or shelled edamame

Salt

Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro Accompaniments:

Grainy, sharp mustard

Prepared horseradish

Mayonnaise or garlic aioli

Small pickles

Sliced and buttered sourdough or French bread

1. For the simmering and broth, put the beef, fresh sausages (not the fully cooked sausages), chicken, bacon, garlic, onion, carrot, celery, ginger and vermouth or wine into a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add 3 quarts cold water. (It should cover everything by an inch.) Add seasonings of choice: bay leaves, thyme and tarragon OR the star anise and cinnamon.

2. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer, partly covered, 30 minutes. Skim off any foam from the surface. 3. After 30 minutes, use tongs to transfer sausages and chicken to a covered container. Refrigerate covered. Continue cooking the beef and bacon in the liquid, stirring occasionally, until beef is fork-tender, 2 to 2 ½ more hours. (Recipe can be prepared to this point up to 2 days in advance; refrigerate covered, then heat to continue.)

4. Add carrots, turnips, pearl onions, lima beans and 2 teaspoons salt to the simmering pot with the beef. Simmer until carrots and onions are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Return reserved chicken and sausages (or the fully cooked sausages if you are using them) to the pot and heat through, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt.

5. To serve, use tongs to transfer beef, bacon, chicken and sausages to a cutting board or platter; keep warm. Strain the broth into a clean pan; reheat it and season with salt. Serve broth in warm bowls accompanied by buttered bread. Thinly slice the meats and sprinkle lightly with salt. Sprinkle everything with parsley. Serve meats and vegetables with the accompaniments.

Note: You can skim the fat off the surface of the broth if you wish before reheating.

Nutrition information per serving: 402 calories, 24 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 118 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrates, 6 g sugar, 31 g protein, 1,441 mg sodium, 2 g fiber