Chicken and Rice Soup

1. Prepare your rice by adding to a bowl, fill the bowl with water. Drain the water, fill again, continue doing this until the water is clear. Could be 3-4 times. Set aside.
2. In a heavy bottomed large stock pot, add 2 tablespoons of butter and set to medium heat. Add in your chopped onions and cook for 3-5 minutes until they become translucent.
3. If you are using chopped garlic instead of toum, add your garlic now (if you are using toum, wait).
4. Add in 2 more tablespoons of butter and your 4 tablespoons of flour. Mix and stir until the flour is absorbed and cooked off. You can add in some of your stock to create a bit of a slurry while cooking this mixture.
5. Add your chicken stock (see below for making your own), and rice. Let the mixture come to a boil on high heat then reduce to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes until rice is tender. Stir occasionally to make sure rice doesn't stick, I leave my wooden spoon in the pot.
6. Add in your chicken, toum if using and lemon once rice is tender. Season with salt and sumac. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that has a lemony flavor, if you don't have it, you can certainly add additional lemon to taste.
7. Remove from heat, enjoy! Add additional lemon to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley and pink peppercorns.

Chicken Stock

1. Place a whole chicken in a large pot with cold water to cover completely.
2. Add a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and lemon.
3. Let the mixture come to a boil on high heat then reduce to a simmer and let go for 2-3 hours to get the best flavor.
4. While the chicken is cooking, skim the fat off the top periodically.
5. Once your stock is done, remove the chicken, pull the meat off the bones. Pour your stock through a fine mesh strainer to get any bits out. Store your stock in the fridge or freezer safe container for 3 months.