Getting Wild with Rice

I'm not a huge rice fan. Especially in soups. Chicken and wild rice? Meh. Aside from sushi or occasionally a little brown rice under stir fry, I shy away from it. The nuttier and more interesting it is, the more likely I am to give it a go.

There are a few rice-containing dishes that really do it for me. This is one of them. My amazing aunt sent me home with some long-grain wild rice this summer and a recipe for rice soup. I finally got around to trying it a week ago.

Where has this recipe been all my life? My husband and I were so enamored with this soup that I'm making another batch tonight to have for lunches and dinners this week since things are going to be a bit hectic.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but should note that I didn't measure the veggies. I just eyeballed it. I tend to go a little heavy on them anyway and it suited the soup just fine. I am also going to increase the pecans to 4 tablespoons because I loved the crunch. Finally, my son has a dairy allergy, so I substituted plain Silk creamer for half and half and it turned out perfectly. I never would have been able to tell the difference. This is so quick and easy! I simply cooked the rice the night before while I was doing other things and dumped it in the next day. Enjoy!

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• Green onion, cut into thin strips, optional

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-55 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain and set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle, saute the onions, carrot and pecans in butter for 1-2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add the ham, pepper and wild rice. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until carrots are tender.
• Reduce heat. Add cream and heat through (do not boil). Sprinkle with green onion if desired.

Yield: 8 servings.