Cranberry Wild Rice Soup

Inspired once again by the top quality recipes provided by Chef Jules, I made another one of his nourishing soups. This time around it was a rather unusual soup that appealed to me because of the unique blend of flavours and the colourful presentation. It's as good as it sounds and looks and it's really easy to prepare besides. I've made a few minor modifications, but essentially just followed the original recipe. Add more salt and a few teaspoons of celery seed if you are not using vegetable stock.

Cranberry Wild Rice Soup

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
3 tablespoons of unbleached white flour
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups of cooked wild rice
2/3 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of yogurt
2 tablespoons of robust red wine
1/4 teaspoon of dried sage
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

parsley for garnishing

Prepare the wild rice ahead of time. Simply wash 2/3 cup of wild rice in a strainer. Bring the rice to a boil in roughly 3 cups of water, reduce the heat to low, and cover and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, or until
the rice puffs open and it loses it's crunch. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrot is tender - about 8 minutes.

Add the flour and stir until smooth. Gradually stir in the vegetable stock, whisking as you add it to prevent lumps from forming. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Next add the rice and cranberries. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are soft and plump (roughly 10- 15 minutes). Stir in the sage, milk, yogurt, wine and seasonings. Cook for another few minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in soup bowls, and garnish with parsley.

Makes 4-6 servings.

I've submitted this recipe to a upcoming Garden Cook event featuring cranberries.