INGREDIENTS
2 large yellow squash
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1tsp turmeric
4 cups chicken bouillon cubes or chicken stock
1/2 cup basmati rice
Maldon or other sea salt and pepper
fresh dill, optional
DIRECTIONS
Cut the squash---wash them by all means if you want, but don't bother to peel them---into very thin rings and then finely dice them. Put them into a pan with the lemon zest and oil, stir to coat, then cook on gentle heat for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they've slightly softened. Stir in the turmeric and pour in the stock and the lemon juice and then drop on the rice. And for the stock here, as usual I mix some bouillion cubes and water, you could use vegetable stock if you prefer, but I love the mellow goldenness you get from the chicken. Cook, uncovered, for ten to twenty minutes, or just until the squash and rice are tender. Taste for seasoning. Leave to cool slightly so that you eat the soup warm rather than hot. And sometimes I exploit all this marvelous yellowness by making, if this doesn't sound too fancy, a carpaccio of yellow squash. Just use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin curling strips. You will probably have to use the central seedy core so I'd reckon on using about using one squash per person. Just lay the strips of squash on a plate, spritz with lemon and a tiny drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of sea salt, and feather, if you wish, with a few frondy straggles of fresh dill.
