Cream of Wild Rice Soup

     As I have written, there is nothing so soothing as a nice bowl of hot soup and a piece of crusty bread on a cold night.  So many prepared soups have some ingredient in them that don't agree with my digestive system so I have developed my own recipes so I can create my own comfort.
     This recipe is different from my New England clam chowder recipe in that while both have a milk base created with lactose free milk, this cream of wild rice soup is thickened by a can of white beans.  They are blended in a food processor or blender, or you can mash them if you don't have these appliances.  As always I have included some ground savory to counteract the unpleasantness the beans can cause.
     When choosing the vegetable or chicken broth and also when adding salt to the soup, if you are monitoring your salt intake, make adjustments accordingly.  For instance, if you need to lower your salt intake, you can buy lower sodium broth and salt your soup to taste.  You can add more herbs and spices for extra flavor rather than adding extra salt.
     While I'm not a practicing vegan, this recipe would work for someone who is.  If you need meat in everything you eat, it would be easy to add bacon or ham.

                                                     Cream of Wild Rice Soup

1/4 cup wild rice
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery, strings removed
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tblsp. fresh rosemary, finely minced or 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. ground savory
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz. can vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups lactose free milk

     In a saucepan combine wild rice, water and salt. Bring to a hard boil.  Reduce heat, cover tightly and gently boil 30 minutes.  Shut off heat, let stand on burner 25-30 min or until wild rice reaches desired texture.  Drain.  Set aside.
     In the same saucepan, in a tablespoon of oil, saute carrot, celery and garlic until lighty brown.  Pulverize the beans in a food processor, blender or by hand until thoroughly mashed.  Add the broth, milk, herbs, seasonings and beans.  Simmer 15 to 30 minutes which will not only heat the soup but also further break the beans down.  Taste to see if you want to add more herbs or salt.  If you want a thicker soup, let it simmer longer.  If you want a thinner soup, add more broth or milk but you will probably have to adjust the herbs and seasoning. 
     About 5 minutes before serving, add the wild rice.  This will give it time to heat thoroughly without breaking down while the rest of the soup simmers.  Depending on serving size, this soup should serve 4 people.
     The month of March will be dedicated to recipes you can use for Easter.  They will consist of recipes for an Easter brunch or buffet and also homemade candy.  Next week I will share my recipe for mini quiches.  See you next time.