Ris e malastre

Ris e malastre is a pale yellow Italian soup originating from Piedmont. It's a specialty of Biella. The soup is made with potatoes, rice, milk, butter, and malastre flowers (mountain pansies or Viola tricolor hortensis). The potatoes and malastre are halfway cooked, then the rice is added to the pot. When the potatoes are cooked, they are removed from the pot and crushed with butter. The potatoes and milk are added to the soup, seasoned and stirred well. The soup is traditionally served hot, and it's recommended to garnish it with a few more floating pansies on top.