Just Like Grandma's Used To Make...

We all know the saying the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well, apparently the way to David's heart was through nearly burning his apartment down (this story will be saved for a future gumbo post)! When we first started dating I attempted to woo him through my cooking. Of course, I did this making things that I had never cooked before. My first attempt at Chicken and Dumplings was good, but the dumplings completely fell apart. I was humiliated, even though David went back for seconds. David informed me that I shouldn't point out my cooking errors and that I should just say something like "this is an old family recipe, just like my grandma used to make". 

No, my grandmother never made this soup. I was referring to Grandma's in Duluth, Minnesota. Every time I go to Grandma's I always get a bowl of their Chicken and Wild Rice soup. I can't get enough of the stuff. I have come close to re-creating it at home in the past, but this recipe with a few adaptations from Eating Well magazine is the closest it has every been to the real thing. This one really is just like Grandma's used to make (and probably still does).

Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

adapted from Eating Well
Makes 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each
Ingredients
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup wild rice

2 large chicken (or turkey) breasts, should equal 3 cups shredded

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 fresh sage leaves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 4 ounces)

¾ cup chopped celery

¾ cup chopped carrots

¼ cup chopped shallots

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup reduced-fat sour cream 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large soup pot or dutch oven (4 quart) over medium heat add chicken broth, wild rice, chicken, thyme, and sage. Let simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove chicken from the pot, shred, and return to pot.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots and shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. . Add 1 cup broth from soup pot and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add mixture to the soup pot. Stir in sour cream and parsley and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.