№ 17Rīšu zupa

Rice soup with raisins and white wine Serves 4 · 40 minutes · Adapted from the 1796 recipe; not yet tested.

The book gives no quantities; the amounts below are ours.

Ingredients

• 100 g long- or medium-grain white rice
• 1.5 l water (our addition: the book doesn't name it, but implies it)
• 20 g butter
• 50 g raisins, rinsed
• 30 g currants, rinsed
• Peel of ½ lemon, cut into thin strips
• 2–3 tbsp sugar
• 150 ml dry white wine
• To serve: 1 tbsp sugar mixed with ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. 2. Put the rice and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Skim off the foam, then add the butter and simmer gently. 3. After 5 minutes add the raisins, currants and lemon peel. Simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the rice is very soft. 4. Stir in the sugar and wine and simmer for 2–3 minutes more. Taste and add more sugar if you like. The soup should be loose, so add a little hot water if the rice has soaked up too much. 5. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with the cinnamon sugar.

Notes

• What the book says vs. what we added: the book washes the rice, boils and skims it, adds butter, then raisins, currants and lemon peel while it cooks, and finishes with a little sugar and wine and cinnamon sugar on top. It never mentions water; we take it as read. All amounts, times and the choice of white wine (the book says only "wine") are ours.
• Wine: a few minutes' simmering drives off only part of the alcohol. For children, use apple juice with a squeeze of lemon instead (our alternative).
• Standing: rice keeps soaking up liquid, so serve the soup straight away or thin it with hot water before serving.