What à l'étouffée means
À l’étouffée means “smothered” in French, and it describes cooking food in a heavy, tightly covered pot with only a small amount of fat or liquid. Because almost no steam can escape, the food cooks gently in its own moisture, keeping its flavour concentrated rather than washing it out into a large volume of sauce. You will sometimes see the closely related terms à l’étuvée or étuvée, which mean much the same thing, particularly for vegetables. Cooks use the method for tender cuts of meat and poultry, delicate fish, and vegetables such as leeks, cabbage, carrots and mushrooms.
Traditionally the lid might be sealed onto the pot with a strip of flour and water paste so the seal is complete, a step still seen in some classic French recipes. The heat should stay low throughout, either on the hob or in a gentle oven, and the pan should be thick enough to stop the base from catching. The result is moist, tender food with a small amount of rich juice that can be spooned over at the table. The name is easy to confuse with étouffée, the Louisiana shellfish dish, which takes its name from the same French word but is a specific recipe.