Cranberry Wild Rice Soup

Apparently I’m making up for lost time (and proving just how obsessed with soup I am) because I have not only another recipe to share this week, but another soup recipe.  What can I say…it’s October and Nantucket isn’t letting us forget it.  We’ve we’ve seen clouds more than blue sky since the beginning of the month.  We’ve turned on the heat once or twice.  We’ve even, broken out the fleece and warm woolen caps.

And Nora’s still fighting that cold, which doesn’t seem to want to let go, so we’ve been eating lots of soup.  Not just chili, but also potato soup, clam chowder, and in continued celebration of and love for local cranberries

tonight we had wild rice and cranberry soup.

I don’t think I can put into words how much I love this soup.  It’s the cover recipe on A Beautiful Bowl of Soup (which just might tell you how delicious and beautiful it is).  Of course, I can’t ever leave anything alone, so I had to increase the rice, cranberries, and sherry, substitute fresh cranberries for those super sweetened dried ones, and use half-and-half instead of milk…but oh my is it delicious.  This makes a thick and creamy, just slightly decadent dinner, full of fall color and flavor — but don’t plan on leftovers: the three of us practically licked the pot clean, even with bread and salad to go with it.

Cranberry Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 carrot, finely chopped (at least 1 cup)
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 3/4 c. onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 c. fresh cranberries
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons sherry
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped fresh sage to garnish

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions to make 2 cups al dente rice.  Set aside.

 Melt butter over medium heat.  Add carrot, celery & onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until carrot is tender, about 8 minutes.

Add flour to pot, stirring to evenly distribute.  Allow flour to brown slightly, about two minutes; then slowly add vegetable stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Increase heat to medium high and stir until soup is thickened, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the rice and cranberries.  Reduce heat to low/medium. Cover & simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are softened and just starting to split, about 15 minutes.

Add milk and sherry, stir to combine and heat for a few extra minutes until warmed through.  Season to taste.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped sage.