soup!

The weather has turned cooler. This instantly put me into a soup mood. I have big plans for fall and winter to try my hand at various soups. Today, I return to an old/new favorite: Wild Rice and Chicken soup.

I didn't grow up eating soup... well at least not real soup. IMHO, Campbell's Chicken noodle concentrated soup DOES NOT count. If it comes in a can and all you do is add water, Nope. Doesn't count. It's a meal, but real soup involves real work. Things like fall harvest veggies, hand pulled chicken, local wild rice. Is your mouth watering yet? I know mine is.

I first was exposed to a good wild rice soup at a local soup place called Eddingtons. After that, I had amazing soup at my fiance's parent's house and since then it definitely a comfort food. I've tried my hand at a couple other recipes but none really come close to the splendor that is this recipe. Will I share it? Only by request. I'm not sure where his dad got the recipe so it's not really mine to share with the public.

I can share that this fall's soup includes good late summer/fall veggies: carrots, peppers, celery. And of course, wild rice (although mine is from a bag so probably not a recent harvest by any means). There's a reason you crave soups like this during cool weather. I even double checked that these were in fact late summer/early fall produce items. I've been reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver so things like harvest times are of particular interest right now.

I sautee'd those veggies in butter. Pre-cooked the rice in chicken broth. Added some flour to the butter sautee'd veggies but did not create a roux and then added more chicken broth. The final touches were adding the cooked rice, the chicken and the cream. That's as much detail I feel I can go into.

For the diet concious: THIS IS NOT YOUR RECIPE! This is a treat indeed cooking with real butter and real half and half. No reduced fat in this recipe. It's one of those times when I feel you should indulge in the real stuff but enjoy in moderation!

I will, though, share some pictures of my comfort food:

Fiance's dad's recipe has mushrooms and onion in it as well. I omitted today because 1) I strongly dislike mushrooms 2) I forgot to buy an onion. The soup tastes just fine without those!

Ok... now time to feast upon my creation....