Skip to content

Meat, South and mountains

Leavened mique with petit salé and vegetables

Leavened mique with petit salé is a dish from southern France and its mountain regions, made of a large ball of leavened dough poached in the broth of salted pork with cabbage, carrots, turnips, and leeks. It serves 4, takes 2h30, has a medium difficulty, and costs about €3.10 per person. The key is letting the dough rise properly and lowering the mique into a gently simmering broth, never a rolling boil.

A big ball of bread, the mique, poached in the petit salé broth with cabbage, carrots, and turnips.

Leavened mique with petit salé and vegetables
Total time
2 h 30
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.10
Calories per person
660 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter

The mique is that big soft loaf that swells as it poaches, soaking up the broth and turning into a tender, flavorful crumb loaded with the taste of petit salé and vegetables. Around it, the cabbage, carrots, and turnips cook slowly and keep a bit of bite. It's a generous dish, built to feed a whole table with few steps but plenty of time.

This is a lazy winter Sunday dish, the kind you set simmering while you get on with other things. The dough rises quietly, the broth fills the kitchen with its smell, and all that's left is slicing the mique at the table. Great for having people over without stress, maybe less so for kids who sometimes prefer simpler textures.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Petit salé 800 g

Pantry

  • Flouroften in the pantry 300 g
  • Baker's yeastoften in the pantry 1
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Egg 1
  • Milk 10 cl

Fruits and vegetables

  • Green cabbage 0.5
  • Carrots 4
  • Turnips 3
  • Leeks 2

Allergens Gluten, Eggs, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Make the mique dough with the flour, yeast, egg, milk, and salt, and let it rise. 1 h

    Place the dough somewhere warm, away from drafts.

  2. Cook the desalted petit salé in a large pot of water. 1 h

    Change the cooking water once to desalt the petit salé.

  3. Add the cabbage, carrots, turnips, and leeks. 30 min

    Cut the vegetables into big chunks so they hold up during cooking.

  4. Shape the mique into a ball and lower it into the broth. 40 min

    Flip the mique halfway through cooking so it puffs up evenly.

  5. Slice the mique and serve with the meat and vegetables.

    Spoon a little broth over the plate.

Our tips to get it right

  • Desalt the petit salé properly by changing the cooking water, otherwise both the broth and the mique will turn out too salty.
  • Check that your yeast is still active before mixing the dough, otherwise the mique will stay dense.
  • Let the dough rest in a floured bowl covered with a towel, away from drafts, so it rises evenly.

The variations

  • Swap the petit salé for salted pork shoulder for a different cut while keeping the same broth.
  • For a meatless version, poach the mique in a well seasoned vegetable broth with the same cabbage, carrots, and turnips.
  • For kids, serve the mique cut into small cubes with just the carrots and a little broth, leaving out the cabbage.

What to serve it with

  • A glass of light red wine
  • A side of mustard
  • A green salad to finish

Storage

Store the petit salé, vegetables, and mique separately in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days. The broth and meat freeze well, but the mique loses texture once frozen. Reheat gently on the stove or over steam, adding a bit of broth if needed.

Questions about this dish

Can you make the mique dough the day before?

Yes, you can make it the day before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Take it out ahead of time so it comes back to room temperature before shaping and poaching.

Why does my mique fall apart in the broth?

This happens if you lower it into broth that's boiling too hard, the motion breaks it up. Wait until the broth is at a gentle simmer before adding the mique.

Can you use baking powder instead of baker's yeast?

No, the mique needs a real rise to puff up and get its soft texture. Baking powder would give you a denser, less airy crumb.

What exactly does the petit salé do in this recipe?

The petit salé flavors the broth the mique poaches and swells in. Without it, the broth would be much blander and the mique less flavorful.

How long does it take to make a leavened mique with petit salé and vegetables?

Count 2 h 30 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a leavened mique with petit salé and vegetables?

About 660 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a leavened mique with petit salé and vegetables cost?

About €3.10 per serving, or €12.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, eggs, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

Cuisine from the South and the mountains

See all

Recipes with carrots

See all