Wild Rice is actually grass. Minnesota swamp grass, if you want=20
to know the truth. But it is therefore a =B3green=B2, vitamin rich=20
food and is extremely good for you and tasty in a nutty, textural=20
sort of way.=20
It endows one with the deliberate energy of a large herbivore=20
living in an extremely harsh and cold climate. So when you find=20
yourself wanting Moose-like fortitude, and the speed and wing=20
strength of a migrating duck, whilst slogging through December=20
and January, whomp yerself up a batch of wild rice (or prepare=20
the soup described below and you=B9ll be fine.=20
=2E
The following rice soup recipie is both impressive and tasty. It
smells wonderful while cooking.=20
=20
It can pass for fancy if you want to feed guests something special=20
that=B9s not too hard to prepare. It conjures up images of that frosty=20
and cosmopolitan midwestern jewel, Minneapolis.
You can sawp funny lines from the movie =B3Fargo=B2 while eating=20
dinner.=20
WHAT YOU NEED TO SERVE 4
1 medium-sized yellow onion. (in diameter terms, maybe 3-4=20
inches). CHOP IT.
1 cup (before slicing) fresh mushrooms. SLICE THEM.
3 tablespoons butter.
1/4 cup flour.
4 cups chicken broth. "Swansons" or some other canned kind is=20
ok. 2 cans
ought to do it.
1 1/2 cups COOKED wild rice. Follow the instructions on the=20
package. Cook the rice ahead of time because it takes more time=20
than regular rice to cook.
one large potato, peeled andcooked most of the way through=20
(bioled or microwaved)=20
1 cup half-and-half. =20
1/4 cup very dry white wine. like and sip away while you=B9re=20
cooking.=20
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley.
Now quit whining. Its not that hard. Saute the onions and=20
mushrooms in the butter. Transfer them to a pot big enough to=20
make four servings of soup in. Add the flour. Stir, over=20
MEDIUM LOW heat for about ten minutes. Its easy to burn flour=20
so don't wander off. =20
Add the chicken broth. Cook about ten minutes. Add the rice=20
and the potato and the wine.=20
Cook ten more minutes. Add fresh
parsley, and serve.
OPTIONAL SEASONINGS: Tarragon, basil, black pepper, all are=20
really nice in this soup if you have them. Herbs De Provence too.=20
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
You can add different kinds of rice to make a thicker soup, or=20
even add chopped up ham (no more than one cup) to the=20
mushroom/onion mixture stage
in the cooking for a meat eaters soup.
It will keep in fridge for two days getting flavorful but do not=20
keep for more than three days.=20
Hope you enjoy it.
Katherine Brown
=20