7 MarchI love rice and mushrooms: pilaf, soup, risotto, egg-fried rice. Right now, I could really go for a plate of deep-fried chicken and mushroom rice croquettes, but as I’m nursing a horrible summer cold, Lemon Chicken Rice Soup with Mushrooms https://bit.ly/1zXPg4O is definitely the cure I’m after. Did you know “white button mushrooms have powerful immunity-boosting effects, according to two studies from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University,” says an article in Women’s Health magazine? “These fabulous fungi increase the production of antiviral proteins that can destroy or deactivate the foreign invaders that make you sick https://bit.ly/1zXPFnN.” It helps that they also taste amazing, and whether you’re ill or not, this soup is as easy to make as it is delicious.

Lemon Chicken Rice Soup with Mushrooms

(From cooks.com)

8 – 9 cups chicken stock
½ ¾ cup raw rice
250 – 450g fresh mushrooms
2tbsp butter (for browning the mushrooms)

2 egg yolks
juice from 1 fresh lemon

Bring the stock to the boil. Add the rice and simmer for 30 minutes, until rice is tender. Meanwhile, slice the fresh mushrooms and brown lightly in the butter. Beat the egg yolks and lemon juice until frothy. Stir this mixture into 1 cup of the chicken stock, then pour back into the soup. Add mushrooms and serve immediately. (Stir in chickpeas and a shredded chicken breast or two, if you like.)