Thursday, February 9, 2017

Wild Rice 'n Ham Soup

Yum
I originally shared this post for Wild Rice Soup back in 2012. I've wanted to get a better picture of this and update the post, but it seems I always make this on a weeknight, in the middle of the winter, and its just dark, dark, dark! This soup is still a favorite, and even my husband who insists soup is just an appetizer, not a meal, can eat this soup as a meal! 

This is not a "fussy" recipe. Just eyeball the ingredients. Do you have one sad little carrot left in the fridge after you grated your 1/2 cup?  Make that last carrot happy and throw him into the pot.  Just have a chunk of ham left over from the holiday dinner, skip the measuring and just add what you have.  A little extra, or a little less will be just fine.




It's hard to explain, to people that aren't from the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, how my favorite soup comes from a grocery store! Byerly's was always that higher end grocery store that had foods that were just a step above the rest.  Of course, they had all the normal foods as well, but they had the super yummy ones that you just craved. Waaaayyy back in the day, when my friend Stacey and I had our first apartment, we were in walking distance to Byerly's so we were fortunate enough to do a lot of shopping there.  In more recent years, I would love stopping there on my way home from work and picking up special meats for grilling.  Now, it is just a treat to stop at when I am in the cities, and get their pasta sauces, bakery treats, soups....  this list goes on, but you get the idea.  I guess they don't go by the same name anymore, I think they were bought out by the store from the other side of town. I believe their name is Lunds now.  Ahhhh....  the memories!



One of the best soups found at Byerlys', locally famous, is their Wild Rice Soup.  You could order it in their restaurant or purchase several different size containers in the store.  I would always try to have a container on stand by.  Feel a cold coming on?  Wild Rice Soup. Bad day at work?  Wild Rice Soup. Raining out? Wild Rice Soup.  See how I am?  I got even more spoiled the year that my mom bought the Byerly's cookbook.  Oh, life was good! Mom would always make a big batch so she had enough to share with me.  She still makes it often, and she usually serves it for Christmas Eve when we celebrate at their house.  

When making this, you can use Half and Half in place of the milk for the most indulgent version of this recipe. Just to lighten it up a bit, I use milk. 



Wild Rice Soup

1/2 c. finely diced onion
6 T. butter
1/2 c. flour
4 c. chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 c. finely grated carrots
1 c. minced ham
3 T. chopped slivered almonds
1/2 t. salt
1 c. whole milk (Half and Half is the rich way to go)

In saucepan, melt butter; add onion and saute till tender.  Blend in flour; Cook for two minutes.  Gradually add broth.  Cook, stirring constantly until mixture comes to boil.  Boil while stirring, for 1 minute.  Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds, and salt.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Blend in milk.  Heat thoroughly.  

Serve with crust bread and enjoy :) 



Sharing this recipe at:

Weekend Potluck

9 comments:

  1. That looks super duper delicious and comforting!

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  2. Hi Kris, what a delicious looking soup, one of my favorites. I can see why your husband likes this so much.

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  3. I love a creamy soup with wild rice. This sounds delicious and now you are making me want to drive north to check out this store! I hope you are staying warm. Our ice and snow from yesterday should be melting in the 50 degree weather they are forecasting for tomorrow. When is spring going to get here?! ;-) In the meantime, at least there is soup!

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  4. this looks filling and so flavorful! as winters go, ours has been mild (knock on wood), but i'm still craving soup. :)

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  5. YUM!! We are on a soup kick here...perfect for this week. :-)

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  6. Ooh, that looks good! Your husband sounds like mine, not usually considering soup a meal. This one just might convince him!

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  7. I've eaten plenty of wild rice soup with chicken, but never ham! Yum... great twist on this soup! Looks delish!!

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  8. This looks absolutely delicious, Kris! I love hearty soups like this and they really ARE a meal to me. And I love when you don't have to be so fussy with the amounts of the things you put in it, too. I usually make split pea & ham soup with my leftover ham. But I'll try this one next time! :)

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