A few weeks ago, walking through the Bistro I smelled something I'd never smelled before. Chef Arie Pavlou had a new soup on the menu, "Potage de Cultivateur" or "Farmer's Soup," made from local turnips, local potatoes, and other ingredients, in a duck stock, with heavy cream. It was delicious. So delicious, that when I smelled it cooking in the kitchen again the next day, I had another bowl. I was even thinking about it in the car the next day when I was doing errands.

So now you probably want to make it at home. Then here you go. Since it is a rustic soup, the recipe isn't so rigid.

Potage de Cultivateur

• Local turnips, cut up into chunks about 1 inch square
• Local potatoes, cut up into chunks about 1 inch square
• Local savoy cabbage, sliced in very thin strips
• Cut up onions
• A few carrots, not much, cut into small pieces
• Garlic – Cut it up in very small pieces so that it just disappears into this dish. Shallots, local or otherwise, would be excellent, too.
• Homemade local Long Island duck stock. If you don't have duck stock, it's fine to use homemade chicken, turkey, vegetable,or even beef stock, but it has to be a good stock. The soup will only be as good as the stock.
• Prosciutto, cut into very thin and small bits. If using a whole ham leg to start with, use the skin as well. This is another key to this dish. The prosciutto adds a lot flavor to the soup without adding a lot of fat, as bacon does. The prosciutto adds salt to the soup as well, so you probably will not have to add salt.
• Pint of heavy cream

Put all the vegetables and the prosciutto bits into a big pot, add the duck (or other) stock and cook over low to medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour so that the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and soft. Add the heavy cream to taste – up to a pint will probably do, depending on how big the batch of soup is. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.

It's definitely great for a cold winter day.