Wild Rice (Anishinaabeg; Manoomin) grows naturally in North Western Ontario and Minnesota (Sunset Country), which made for an upbringing on this delicious grain. Here’s a favourite regional recipe from my hometown, Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. It is a creamy elegant soup that is hearty and rich. Substitute the bacon for sausage or ham, but also if you are lucky enough to get your hands on moose sausage, it would compliment the wild rice very well. Serve with a fresh sour dough or rye bread. Enjoy!

3 tbsp of butter

1 cup diced white onion (I use red onion sometimes because I like it more)

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup of cooked bacon or breakfast sausage (ham would be great too)

1/2 cup flour

2 quarts of chicken stock (homemade preferably)

3/4 sliced mushrooms

3 cups of cooked wild rice

1 cup whipping cream or sour creme

garnish with chopped dill and green onion

Melt butter into a large soup pot at a low temperature. Add onions, carrots and celery (mirepoix) and cover with a lid. You want to “sweat” the onions mix. If the onions are turning brown, your temperature is too hot. When the onions and celery become translucent add sliced bacon or sausage.  Once the meat is cooked through add the flour (this makes a roux) stir until all the sausage, onion, carrots and celery is covered with the flour.

Turn the heat up to medium and add 2 quarts of chicken stock and stir well. You will notice the stock begin to thicken because of the flour. Bring to boil and stir constantly. Add the sliced mushrooms and wild rice and return boil. Let simmer for 5-6 minutes and remove from the heat. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and add whip cream. Cooling the soup before adding the whip cream ensures the heat won’t curdle the whip cream.  Return the temperature to low and bring soup back to a simmer. Once at a boil garnish with chopped dill and fresh green onion.

HINT: I presoaked the wild rice for 24 hours before cooking it. The longer it is soaked, the less time it takes to cook it. Usually wild rice takes 50-60 minutes, when soaked, it took 15-20 minutes.

Tags: cream of wild rice soup, wild rice recipe, wild rice soup

Jan 13th, 2010 by lindsayjoy