Peachy Teachy

There are particular dishes from various cultures you can’t find in restaurants, some that are only made in the home. A dish passed down from generation to generation and, if you have the foresight to do so, you learn and pass down to your children. Orange soup is one of those select dishes. The smell of this soup takes me back to my childhood, when my Medzmama (grandma) would make this soup in her kitchen-her magic place. No ingredient overpowers the other, this soup is a perfect blend of goodness you have to taste to understand. Read on to learn how to make this generational dish..

Six ingredients to perfection. The meat used in this dish is lamb shank. I prefer it with lamb because lamb is packed with vitamin b, is a great source of iron, and has anti-inflammatory assets. However, two beef shanks can be substituted for the lamb which is also a great source of protein

Start by adding lamb shank and water to a large pot, bring to a boil

Once it starts to boil, cover and reduce heat to a low boil for 3 hours. Make sure to cover with a lid during this process, so the water does not evaporate

When the 3 hours are up, take the super tender lamb shank out of the pot and remove the bone and any fat. Keep the pot covered and the heat on to keep broth at a low boil

Shred the meat into fine pieces

Return shredded meat to pot

Add lemon juice

Add salt

For the tomato base of the soup, add butter to a pan on low heat

Once the butter is melted, add the tomato paste and stir frequently until the tomato paste absorbs the butter and is slightly darker in color

Add rinsed rice

Mix until rice is well incorporated, about 1 minute

Add tomato base to pot

Once the tomato base is in the pot, swirl some broth in the pan to get the remaining charred tomato paste and rice into the pot

Once the soup returns to a boil, cover and reduce heat to lowest setting for 30 minutes to allow the rice to soften. After 30 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the lid so the rice does not get mushy

Serve this delicious soup with fresh bread for dipping!

Armenian Orange Soup (Rice & Lamb Soup with Tomato Base)

Serving Size: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hrs 35 min
Total Time: 3 hrs 40 min

Ingredients:

1 lamb shank (or 2 beef shanks)

1 3/4 cup white rice

16 cups water

1 jar tomato paste

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp salt

In a large pot, bring lamb shank and 16 cups water to a boil

Cover and let gently boil for 3 hours

Remove tenderized lamb shank from pot and shred into fine pieces, discard bone and fat. Return shredded lamb to pot

Add lemon and salt

In a pan, melt butter and mix in tomato paste on low-medium heat

Once the tomato paste absorbs the butter and the paste is a bit darker in color, add the rinsed rice and mix for about one minute

Add tomato base to pot. Then swirl some broth in pan to get remaining bits of charred rice and tomato paste into the pot

Once the soup returns to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to lowest setting for 30 min to allow the rice to soften. After 30 min, turn off heat and remove lid so the rice does not get mushy

Serve with fresh bread for dipping!