Hearty Wild Rice Soup & Rosemary Biscuits

A while back the second round of Homegrown Gourmet was held with the theme being Soups. It was right at the start of autumn and there were some really great looking entries. One caught my eye and I had it saved for a while before I got around to making it. It was Carrie's Wild Rice Soup. (Apparently Northern Wild Rice is the national grain of Minnesota.)

Now, I should tell you that my darling Adam usually turns his nose up when I suggest soup for dinner. He doesn't think it is enough for a full meal. (He seems to have a hollow leg that he fills up every meal!) This recipe however has changed his mind. He LOVED it- I mean, he has brought it up a couple of times since I made it at the start of December saying that I should make it again. This is crazy and a huge compliment to Carrie and her mom, the originator of the recipe!

It helped that I accompanied the meal with rosemary biscuits. Anything with rosemary gets 2 thumbs up from my husband. And you can't say no to biscuits- even the Bisquick variety!


Carrie's Wild Rice Soup
Modified from Carrie's Cooking Adventures

• 3 Tbsp. butter
  
• 1 Tbsp. Onion, minced
  
• 1/2 C. Flour
  
• 4 C. Chicken Broth
  
• 2 C. Cooked Wild Rice
  
• 1/2 C. Carrots, finely grated
  
• 1/2-1 C. cooked chicken
  
• 1 Small Can Sliced Mushrooms
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Cashews (chopped)
  
• 1/2 C. Heavy Cream
  
• 1/2 C. Milk
  
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan or medium stockpot, melt butter over medium-high and saute onions until translucent.
   
2. Mix in flour and stir until smooth. Add in 1 C. chicken broth and whisk over heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As the mixture thickens, add in the remaining broth and stir. Allow to boil for about a minute.
   
3. Add in rice, carrots, chicken, mushrooms, and cashews. Heat through and let simmer for 5 minutes.
   
4. Stir in cream and milk and heat. If soup is too thick for your taste, add more water or chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to your tastes.

Rosemary Biscuits

1. Using a standard biscuit recipe or Bisquick, prepare biscuits as normal, but add in about 1-2 tsp. of dried Rosemary to the dough.
   
2. Cut with biscuit cutter and bake as usual. Serve hot with butter on the side.