Cream of Broccoli Soup with Rice
Comments:	Delicious served along with crusty bread slices. If desired, add boiled drained pasta noodles such as macaroni elbow noodles instead of rice, and finely chopped leek instead of green onion or tiny white onion when impossible to find.
Servings:	4 to 6
Ingredients	Preparation
12 green onions or tiny white onions, cleaned then finely chopped 2 large carrots, scrubbed then sliced 2 stalks celery, peeled then diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 bay leaf 1 cup [250 mL] water 12 ounces [340 g] boiled broccoli stalks and flowerets, drained then grossly chopped 1 teaspoon [5 mL] salt 1/2 teaspoon [2.5 mL] white pepper 1/2 teaspoon [2.5 mL] paprika 4 cups [1 L] hen or chicken broth 1 cup [250 mL] light cream or half heavy [35%] cream and half milk 1 cup [250 mL] boiled drained long grain rice 4 tablespoons [60 mL] sour cream	Mix together finely chopped green onions or tiny white onions, carrot slices, celery dices, crushed garlic, bay leaf and water into a large heavy bottom casserole. Stirring, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cover casserole; lower heat and leave to simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, until all vegetables are soft. Remove from heat. Add chopped broccoli, salt, white pepper and paprika, then pour in hen or chicken broth. Mix well then heat soup for 10 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat. Strain mixture through a fine metal sieve into a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, press vegetables through the sieve into bowl. Either throw away any remaining pulp in sieve or, remove bay leaf, add remaining pulp to soup and puree soup into a blender until smooth. Pour soup back into casserole over low heat. Stir in light cream or half heavy cream and half milk, and boiled drained rice. Serve soup hot into a warm serving bowl or individual soup bowls. Serve soup immediately, each serving garnished with 2 to 3 teaspoons [10 to 15 mL] sour cream.