Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice

I think {no, I'm pretty certain} that thick, creamy {even if there isn't any cream in it} butternut squash soup is the soup I want most in fall and winter.  But when I was sorting through and organizing some recipes last week, I came across this one, which is the first butternut squash soup I learned to make. And since I will probably be making the other kind every other week from now until February, it's nice to visit this one again.

It's simple and very good (and also very pretty, prettier than I could capture...), a little earthy and a little sweet. In a nutshell, you saute onion, leeks, carrots, celery {or an extra carrot} and cubes of peeled butternut squash, along with bay leaves and lots of garlic, in olive oil, then add chicken broth, a little bit of wild rice, and some herbs, and cook the soup until the wild rice is tender.

Since this is a chunky vegetable soup rather than a pureed one, I like to be a little refined in the way I cut the vegetables {small dice for the onion and carrots, thin ribbons for the leeks, and half-inch cubes for the squash}.  On the other hand, almost as soon as you add the broth, some (but not all) of the squash breaks down a little, adding some gloss and thickness to the brothy part of the soup. {That's one of my favorite things about it.}

The wild rice adds a little bit of a pleasantly chewy texture to the soup, and this is a perfect way to sometimes use this lovely but expensive grain almost as a garnish instead of a main ingredient.  Speaking of lovely, this next thing is going to sound idiotic, but as soon as you start cooking the vegetables your kitchen will start smelling like soup. I think that's because of the leeks, and it's the best thing about making this.

This soup is fine (and gorgeous) without them, but adding some green vegetables to it is good, too. If I think I'm going to freeze the soup, or have leftovers {which I usually do}, I try to add a fresh handful of the green beans or peas each time I reheat it, so they'll stay a fresher green.


Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice
Source not noted (with apologies; this has been in my recipe box for a long time)
for four generous servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
one medium onion, finely diced
one leek, white and light green parts,, split lengthwise for washing, then sliced crosswise into thin ribbons
two carrots, finely chopped {I cut mine in half crosswise, cut each half lengthwise into four sticks, then slice across them to make a delicate dice}
one stalk celery, peeled if the outside is stringy, finely chopped {or another carrot}
one small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups of cut-up squash; a little more than that is fine|
two bay leaves
three garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
4 cups chicken broth {with all the vegetables in this, using canned chicken broth is very OK here}
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
.  .  .
frozen broccoli florets, fresh or frozen cut green beans, or peas, or julienned fresh spinach, added at the end {see note}, and/or
finely chopped fresh parsley {very pretty, if you have some}


Warm a large soup pot {a recipe with these words at the beginning has me, already} over medium heat. Add the olive oil; when it's hot, add the onion, leek, carrots, celery, butternut squash, bay leaves and garlic. Saute, stirring gently, until the vegetables are fragrant, a little caramelized {but not dark brown} and just wilted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and the water, add the wild rice, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to simmer, partially covered, adding the dried herbs about halfway through, until the wild rice has 'popped' and is tender, about 45 minutes {taste a grain to see}.

{A large handful of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces, can be added about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, but I've had even better luck adding frozen green beans, broccoli florets, or peas a few minutes before the end, just long enough to heat them through.} If I had any fresh parsley, I would definitely put some in.

Don't forget {because I would} to remove the bay leaves before serving. :)