Jiminy Cricket, I love this soup! I've taken it from Dara Goldstein's "A Taste of Russia", which is a must for your cookery library if you like hearty East European cuisine. It's straightforward to make, cleansing, unusual, and most importantly delicious. Here's how you make it:
In your favourite pan cook a handful of rice (I use Uncle Ben's Long Grain American Rice) in unsalted butter until the rice absorbs the butter and becomes translucent. It should only take a few seconds. Next, add some good chicken stock (home-made si'il vous plait- I'll be coming to this in another post). Simmer for about twenty minutes.
You will probably need to add more stock bit by bit- you want to get the balance right between the rice and the liquid. Wait until the rice is cooked, and then stir in some double cream, and the finely grated rind and juice of a lemon. Keep on stirring to make sure the soup is well blended.
Finally, serve in bowls with a slice of lemon floating on the top and chopped parsley or dill. Make sure that each bowl has a spoonful of rice on the bottom.
