Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
Prep 5 mins Cook 55 mins Eat 60 mins
What’s special about this bowl of Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is not only the soup, but the bowl. It’s a stoneware bowl made by our friend, Raulee Marcus and given to us on New Year’s Eve. So when soup season was in full tilt, it was inevitable that soup would end up inside of it. “We eat with our eyes” and this bowl was just too pretty to sit on a shelf.
I’ve been making a lot of soups this winter and Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is one of my favorites. Hey, I was born and raised in Minnesota, so I’ve got to promote this delicious and nutty wild grain grown in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Real wild rice (not cultivated) grows naturally in the lakes, many which are on Indian reservations in Minnesota and into Canada. Most wild rice available in supermarkets is “cultivated” meaning it is “farmed”. Cultivated rice is grown both in Minnesota and California, even though the climates are completely different. Cultivated wild rice is delicious too, but if you want to experience the real deal, you can purchase real wild rice online from Moose Lake Wild Rice or pick up some at a Minneapolis supermarket, which is what I do when I am in my hometown. The website for Moose Lake Wild Rice has published a nice history of this delicious grain too.
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup showcased in a stoneware bowl.
This soup recipe starts with a mirepoix of onion, carrots and celery and has a broth of both chicken stock (home-made if you have some in your freezer) and milk. You add butter and flour to the vegetables to create a roux, which is the thickener. The time consuming part about making Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is cooking the rice that will be added to the soup, which can be made in advance. It needs to simmer 45 minutes, which is a lot longer than white or brown rice. That’s because wild rice is not really rice, it’s an aquatic cereal grain. You cook it in plenty of water without covering it and then drain out the excess water once it is cooked, like you would pasta. It’s done when it is al dente and no longer crunchy.
Stoneware bowl by Raulee Marcus with traditional Asian celadon glaze.
I love and appreciate beautiful pottery and glass. Visiting the Ojai studio of Beatrice Wood and seeing her collection at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art was a pivotal moment in my appreciation. I’ve collected a few things through my travels, but some recent additions to my collection include these fabulous bowls created by my dear friend, Raulee Marcus. Raulee is a serious collector of pottery, including pieces she’s sought out in Japan that grace her downtown Los Angeles loft. Her interest has really taken off and she’s been studying pottery making for the past five years including studio time at the American Museum of Ceramics Art (AMOCA) in Pomona. I’ve been a fortunate recipient of three of her pieces. She’s learned to make different shapes and use different glazes. I’m so impressed with the quality of her work. Have a close look and I think you will agree.
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup pictured in a stoneware bowl with a traditional Asian celadon glaze.
The Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is served in Raulee’s stoneware bowl with a traditional Asian celadon glaze. The grey glaze with tiny specks of chocolate shining through is very elegant and contrasts the soup in the bowl nicely. Notice the kiss on the side of the left side of the bowl, adding even more character.
Porcelain Bowl by Raulee Marcus with a traditional Japanese glaze called oribe.
I love the color of this bowl. The green really speaks to me. This one is made from porcelain instead of stoneware and glazed with a traditional Japanese glaze called oribe.
Stoneware bowl by Raulee Marcus with a traditional Japanese glaze called shino.
The rustic quality of this bowl is stunning. The mottled brown on brown of the stoneware with a traditional Japanese glaze called shino has so much texture and feels like it grew out of the earth.
Do you have favorite pieces of pottery you’d like to serve your food in? Don’t just leave them on the shelf collecting dust. Use them carefully and enjoy!
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup with Chicken or Turkey
This is a great recipe for leftover Thanksgiving turkey or leftover chicken. But don’t let that stop you. You can roast two chicken breasts in the oven with salt, pepper and a little olive oil at 350° for 15-20 minutes while the rice is cooking.
1 1/3 cups + uncooked wild rice or cultivated wild rice
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalk diced
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
1-2 cups lowfat milk
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 pinch salt & pepper to taste
1. Combine wild rice, water and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. The grains will look like they are splitting or curling and be al dente when eaten. Drain, rinse and set aside. (May be cooked the day before and refrigerated.)
2. While wild rice is cooking, prep vegetables and begin soup base. In a soup pot, add olive oil and cook onion, carrots and celery until the onions are translucent. Add the butter and the flour and stir until the flour is incorporated and coated with the butter. Continue to cook for 3 more minutes as you stir. Add the the chicken or turkey, the stock and 1 cup milk and wild rice if ready or add rice when cooked and drained. Continue to stir until the soup begins to smooth out and thicken. Once the soup begins to boil, remove from heat. Add more milk if desired. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Servings: 6 – 277 calories per serving
Minnesota Wild Rice Soup with Chicken or Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups + uncooked wild rice or cultivated wild rice
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 celery stalk diced
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
- 1-2 cups lowfat milk
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 pinch salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine wild rice, water and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. The grains will look like they are splitting or curling and be al dente when eaten. Drain, rinse and set aside. (May be cooked the day before and refrigerated.)
- While wild rice is cooking, prep vegetables and begin soup base. In a soup pot, add olive oil and cook onion, carrots and celery until the onions are translucent. Add the butter and the flour and stir until the flour is incorporated and coated with the butter. Continue to cook for 3 more minutes as you stir. Add the the chicken or turkey, the stock and 1 cup milk and wild rice if ready or add rice when cooked and drained. Continue to stir until the soup begins to smooth out and thicken. Once the soup begins to boil, remove from heat. Add more milk if desired. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
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