Forever Nigella
I have become a Nigella Evangelist.
In 2002, Forever Summer with Nigella aired on BBC Channel4. The first episode I watched was called Yellow. She began the show with a beautiful yellow soup that captured the essence of summer. It is called Happiness Soup. As simple as it is, I forgot about it until I had a few yellow summer squash lying around asking to be used. The simplicity of the recipe and the bright sunshine yellow color of the soup truly makes one happy. I reckon that this would work wonders in the dreary winter months in Madison.
You can find the recipe here. But I translated into US measurements for you below:
Happiness Soup
You’ll need:
14oz yellow summer squash (2 large) - cut into 1/2” rings and diced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric (you can omit, if desired — used to enhance colour)
4 cups chicken stock (or bouillon + boiling water)
1/2 cup basmati rice
Sea salt and pepper
Method:
1. Place summer squash in a heavy bottomed pan with lemon zest and oil. Stir to coat and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’ve softened.
2. Stir in tumeric (if desired) and pour in the stock and lemon juice and drop in the rice.
3. Cook, uncovered, for 10-20 minutes, or just until the squash and rice are tender.
4. Leave to cool slightly before serving so that you eat the soup warm rather than hot.
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