Name: Potage Bonne Femme (Housewife’s Soup)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2-3 large pontiac or other ‘old’ potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-3cm dice; ¼ bunch chives, finely chopped - optional; 1.5 litres light chicken stock or water; a touch of freshly grated nutmeg; salt and freshly ground white pepper; 2-3 large leeks, white part only; 1 small white onion, peeled and thinly sliced; 60 g unsalted butter

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

French

By Damien Pignolet

Published 2005

About

The secret of this honest soup lies in the initial ‘sweating’ of the leeks and onions - this involves very slow cooking with a little butter in a covered pot, to release the vegetable juices.

Ingredients

2-3 large leeks, white part only
60 g unsalted butter
1 small white onion, peeled

Method

Trim the leeks just above the root and wash thoroughly, checking between the layers for any trapped grit. Cut in half lengthwise and wash again, if necessary, then slice thinly. Slowly melt the butter in a heavy-based 4-litre saucepan, add the leek and onion and coat with the butter. Cover the pan and sweat really slowly until they are very soft. On no account should the