Poule au pot farcie — stuffed stewing hen with vegetables in broth

Prepare a pot holding about 8 l that fits the hen fairly snugly while leaving room for the vegetables later. Halve the onion, cut the carrots and turnips into large pieces about 4 cm across, and rinse between the leek layers thoroughly before cutting them into sections about 8 cm long. Set the vegetables aside for cooking later. Finely chop the ham, parsley and garlic.

Tear the bread into a bowl, pour over the milk and leave for about 5 minutes until softened. Mash with a fork, keeping all the milk. Add the raw pork, ham, egg, parsley, garlic, 2 g salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix into a smooth, soft mixture that can be spooned.

Pat the hen dry with paper towels and spoon all the stuffing loosely into its cavity, without packing it tightly. Bring the edges of the skin around the opening together and sew them closed with a thick kitchen needle and food-grade cotton thread so the stuffing does not escape. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wings under the bird. Begin cooking immediately.

Place the hen in the pot and add the onion, bay leaves, thyme and 6 g salt for the broth. Pour in 3000 ml cold water; the bird should be covered by liquid. Heat over medium heat for about 25–35 minutes until the water reaches a gentle boil, skimming foam from the surface with a spoon. If needed, add some of the listed hot water to keep the bird submerged.

Once the liquid reaches a gentle boil, simmer the hen for about 3–3.5 hours with the lid slightly ajar, adding the vegetables near the end as described in the next step. Keep the broth gently bubbling and the bird submerged; replace evaporated liquid with the remaining measured hot water. The meat should be cooked and tender, especially around the thighs, and the stuffing cooked through at its very center. An older adult hen may need longer; do not stop cooking simply because the stated time has passed.

After about 2.5 hours of gentle cooking, check whether the thighs are beginning to soften. If the meat is still very tough, cook longer before adding the vegetables. Add the carrots, turnips and leeks, wait for a gentle boil to return, then cook for about 40–50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the hen is cooked. Remove cooked vegetables earlier if the bird still needs more time, and keep them for serving.

Support the bird with two wide spatulas and carefully transfer it to a deep serving platter. Rest for about 15 minutes to make removing the stuffing and dividing the meat easier. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the broth, keeping the onion with the other vegetables. Keep all the broth and vegetables warm, covered; add the remaining salt to the broth only if needed.

Remove all the string and thread, open the bird and carefully take out the stuffing. Cut it open: it must be cooked at the center too, hot and firm, with no raw, pasty mixture. If the center needs further cooking, cut the stuffing into slices about 2 cm thick and simmer them gently in the reserved broth for about 10–15 minutes, continuing as needed until cooked through. Separate the meat with its skin from the bones and cartilage, and discard those bones and cartilage.

Divide all the meat with skin, stuffing and vegetables among six servings. Divide all the broth among those servings too: serve some in bowls and spoon the rest over the meat and vegetables. Serve hot.