To make Potage cultivateur, you need to perform mise en place and practice your knife skills so it seems like a good place to start.

There is a similar recipe for Potage cultivateur in Le Cordon Bleu Classic French Cookbook that includes an onion, some celeriac, and more butter, but it's puréed. This one is more rustic.


⅛ cup butter
1 piece of leek, thinly sliced into rings
1½ cups (⅓ pound) carrots, diced medium size
1 cup turnips, diced medium size
½ cup Savoy cabbage, finely chopped
4 cups plus 3 tablespoons chicken stock
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1½ cups potatoes, diced medium size
½ cup green beans, trimmed
½ cup peas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup Gruyère cheese, grated
3 slices white bread slices, cubed for croutons

Prepare the leek, carrots, turnips, and cabbage. On a separate cutting board, cut the bacon into small pieces. In a skillet, cook the bacon and set aside.

Sweat the leeks, carrots, turnips, and cabbage in butter in a large pot until soft but not brown. Add chicken stock. Bring the mixture to boil, and then add the bacon. Turn down the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Prepare the potatoes and cover them with water. Trim the green beans and cube. (Tip: Snap off top and bottom by breaking it with your fingers. Don’t line up a bunch of green beans and cut the ends off.) Grate the cheese.

Once the 20 minutes are up, add the potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Just before serving, add the green beans, so they are not over cooked. Add the peas at the very end.

For the croutons, dice the bread, heat the vegetable oil, and spread them evenly in the frying pan. When they are golden brown, cool on a paper towel. Serve hot with Gruyère cheese and croutons.

Tasting Notes

The soup had a clean, fresh taste, and the bacon gave it a smoky, salty hint. The crunch of the croutons was a nice counterpoint to the tenderness of the vegetables. Very smooth finish.

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $12.19

Butter used so far: ⅛ cup