Minnesota Wild Rice

KEEP CALM AND COOK ON

Yield: 1 gallon
Oven: N/A

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces butter
• 5 ounces onion, diced
• 3 each garlic clove, minced
• 5 ounces carrots, diced
• 5 ounces celery, diced
• 5 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 4 ounces ham, diced
• 10 ounces wild rice
• 1 gallon chicken stock
• 1 each bay leaf
• 12 ounces milk, for whitewash
• 3 ounces flour
• 10 ounces half and half
• 3 ounces almonds, sliced, toasted
• to taste kosher salt
• to taste cracked black pepper

Procedures:

1. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add butter and heat until foam subsides.
2. Into the foamed butter, add onions, season, and sweat 90 seconds; add the garlic and sweat until fragrant—about 3 mins.
3. Into the fragrant onions and garlic, add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and ham, sauté until just starting to take color.
4. Into the matignon (that’s what you call sautéed mirepoix with pork and garlic) add wild rice and toast until they are fragrant and a couple begin to pop—about 3 minutes.
5. Add the stock and bring to a boil, reduce to medium low, add bay leaf and simmer until the rice is cooked through—about 45 minutes. (You could also cook the rice separately and add it fully cooked.)
6. In a small bowl, add milk and flour and stir together with a whisk until well combined. (This is called a ‘whitewash’)
7. Into the simmering soup, slowly pour in the whitewash while stirring. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, continue stirring until thickened.
8. Into the thicken soup, add half-and-half, heat until warm.
9. Taste and adjust seasoning, serve with toasted almonds.