lemon dill soup

In December, I finished the book The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. It was very insightful and since then, we have embraced the Danish concept of hygge. We have been all about warm drinks, savory and simple comfort food, wool socks, slippers, sweaters, candles, dim lights, blankets, flannel, listening to vinyl, and most importantly -- togetherness at home. Winter is one of our favorite seasons, and despite the warm temperatures this week, we are still hoping for more snow before spring officially comes.

That being said, we have certain soup and chili recipes on repeat over here season after season, and this particular recipe has been in the rotation frequently this winter. I am fairly certain that this soup has been made at least once a week for the past two months. It is easy to make yet full of fresh flavor and just begs me to cozy up under a soft blanket with a mug of this in hand. I will sometimes eat it for lunch and dinner in the same day, and the best part is it is even better as leftovers when the flavors have a chance to meld.

lemon dill soup
from the book Savor, by Shauna Niequist

ingredients:
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (i use homemade chicken stock)
1/2 cup brown rice (for a shortcut, use a packet of the trader joe's freezer brown rice)
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (for a shortcut, use a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (i always add more)
4 sprigs fresh dill, finely chopped (dry dill works as well)
salt and pepper

directions:

saute the onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil until soft, then add garlic.

add broth and rice and allow rice to cook most of the way through.

five minutes before rice is cooked through, add chicken and lemon juice and dill.

add salt and pepper to taste. adjust dill and lemon according to taste preference.

>> i always add extra lemon and dill until it's just right. i will also add more chicken for additional protein and so it has a thicker consistency.

enjoy! and please by all means, cozy up under a blanket and savor this soup goodness.