Gift of Wild Rice

Just after Thanksgiving a GardenWeb cooking forum member generously sent hand harvested Minnesota lake wild rice to a few lucky members. I was thrilled to learn my name had been drawn because I had not eaten wild rice before (Uncle Ben's Original doesn't count).  I thought wild rice was as thin, hard and black as no. 5 pencil led.  This wild rice is brown and  larger diameter.

Along with the rice, Teresa sent her recipe for wild rice soup and instructions on how to prepare the rice: it is baked.  One cup raw rice yields 4 cups cooked rice.

The cooked wild rice resembles little wiggly, damp creatures straight out of a sci-fi movie. The luscious flavor quickly trumped any hesitation to eat creepy crawlies. 

Mr. C was not up to eating just anything after a post-Thanksgiving bout with a virus, so I did not add the cream. Anyone who know me will be surprised I passed up this opportunity to use cream! The soup was delicious without the cream. It had nice body and yummy flavor.

Teresa's Wild Rice Soup
Yield: about 6 cups

• 6 tablespoons margarine or butter 
• 2-3 tablespoons minced onion 
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 2 cups cooked wild rice 
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (I use more) 
• 1 cup minced ham or leftover cooked chicken 
• 3 tablespoons (or more!) chopped slivered almonds (you can put them in the soup OR toast and top as a garnish) 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup half and half (I used Fat Free. I have also used low fat evaporated milk) 
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (I used Holland House cooking sherry) 

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. 
2. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. 
3. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. 
5. Blend in half and half and sherry; 
6. heat to serving temperature. 
7. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives.