Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I’ve had my share of a really great soup in my life. I think I was introduced to Vichyssoise within my first three years of life while our family lived in Morocco, Africa. My mom could open a can of Campbell’s Soup with the rest of them, but she never left well enough alone (if opening a can was ever well enough…) and was always game for throwing some of this and some of that into it. You can check that out by hopping over to Eye of Newt Soup. In my early twenties, I lived and cooked at Holden Village, where I really learned the fine art of scratch soup. Just recently, though, I had the blessing of being on the receiving end of a quart of Ms Jennifer Ford’s Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. It was outrageous. In fact, before I had the third spoonful in my mouth, I tapped out this text message to her:

“Hey… I’m not kidding! That’s probably the best soup I’ve ever had in my life. And I’ve had a lot of soup…”

This is pure mystical stuff that gets better with each day. So make a lot of it; just know that it’s going to go fast… so enjoy.

Ingredients ~

• 6 Tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1/3 cup minced ham or chicken
• 3 Tablespoons chopped sliced almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 Tablespoons dry (not cooking) sherry, (optional)
• Snipped fresh parsley or chives

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

Amount: 6 cups.

Tip:  One-half cup uncooked wild rice=1 ½ to 2 cups, cooked.