A typically Russian dish

• 6 cups chicken stock (or 6 packs MBT Chicken Consomme powder dissolved in 6 cups hot water)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 3 boiled potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sweet heavy cream
• 1 T flour
• salt, pepper

Combine stock, seasonings and cumin seed in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes.

Make a smooth paste of the flour and sour cream; pour a cup of hot stock onto it, beating until smooth, and add this mixture to the pot of stock.

Stir thoroughly, add the sweet cream and potatoes, and simmer 10 minutes over very low heat. Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the sweet cream.

Serve hot.

A Greek chicken-lemon soup, extremely simple to make

• 5 cups chicken bouillon (dissolve soup packets in 5 cups of water, or use tinned consommé)
• ¼ cup plain rice
• 2 eggs
• juice of a lemon
• seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika)

Bring the bouillon to a boil, add rice and simmer 20 min­utes. Meanwhile, beat eggs with lemon juice; add 1/4 cup of the hot bouillon and blend, stirring constantly.

Remove the soup pot from heat and combine with egg-lemon mixture, season with salt, pepper and paprika, and serve very hot.

This soup may be kept hot for a few minutes, but should never be allowed to boil again after the egg mixture has been added.

A very special richly delicious soup, to be followed by a chef’s salad, fresh fruit and coffee.

• ½ pound fresh crab meat—or 1 can cleaned Geisha crab meat
• ½ cup dry sherry
• ½ can condensed pea soup
• ½ can condensed tomato soup
• 1 cup heavy cream

Mix the crab meat with sherry and let it stand. Combine soups and cream and bring to a boil very slowly.

Reduce heat sharply, add the crab meat and sherry, and simmer for 10 minutes, adding a little extra milk or cream if the soup is too thick.
Serve in soup bowls with a tablespoon of dry sherry added to each.

• 1 celery root, scraped and cut in julienne strips
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 T tarrgon vinegar

Mix, cover tightly, and chill overnight

Sauce:

• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp meat stock (Bovril, Kitchen Bouquet)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 phony of brandy (3/4 ounce)

Mix the sauce thoroughly. Drain the celeriac and add to the sauce, turning gently to coat each sliver.

To serve: place a lettuce leaf on each plate, top with a slice of ripe tomato, and cover with the celeriac. Dust with paprika.

A white bean salad, usually pea or Navy beans, but a quick substitute is chickpeas (also called Garbanzos beans).

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 white onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
• ½ cup Vinaigrette dressing
• ¼ cup finely minced fresh parsley

Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.