Wild Rice Soup

Every time we head home to Wisconsin for a visit, my family makes sure to stop by the Menominee reservation, to get a big bag of the Indian wild rice cultivated there (the name Menominee actually translates to "Wild Rice People"). Wild rice is a popular product in the Great North, found in Wisconsin and Minnesota and parts of Canada. It is very good for you: high in protein, lysine, and fiber, and contains several vitamins. Click here to learn more about this awesome stuff.

Wild rice tastes nutty with a slightly chewy texture, and is a great substitute for white or brown rice in recipes. I love wild rice personally, so it should be no surprise that this soup is one of my favorites. Creamy and rich, full of veggies and wild rice and chicken. Yum. So warming on a cold winter evening. I originally got this recipe out of Midwest Living, a very old copy. So old, in fact, that I can't find the recipe online anywhere. At any rate, enjoy this one. It's a regular at our house year-round.

Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 c. uncooked wild rice, rinsed

3 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth

1 c. chopped carrot

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopping onion

2 c. mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 c. flour

Salt and pepper

1 c. whipping cream

2 c. cooked diced chicken

In a dutch oven, combine rice, 2 cans of broth, carrot, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer (covered) for 35-40 minutes. Add mushrooms during the last 5 minutes of simmering.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, and some salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining can of broth, and cook until bubbly. Cook and stir for one more minute, then stir in cream.

Add cream mixture to rice mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken and heat through. Serve with a nice slice of crusty bread.