Hearty Healing Spring Greens & Wild Rice Soup |
Bok Choy (photo by Dawn M. Turner, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Spring is in full force and delivering a growing abundance of fresh produce to delight home chefs and those lucky friends and family members who get to enjoy their concoctions. With the recipe below, our friends at Organic Valley Family of Farms have provided us with a delicious way to celebrate spring with “a rich and creamy combination of asparagus, wild rice, and everything else!”
Organic Valley is a farmer-owned coop that says, “We think it's a simple truth. The earth's most delicious, most healthful foods are made when farmers work in harmony with nature.” The organization started with 7 farmers forming an organic cooperative in 1988. Today, more than 1,200 family farms are members and their high standards shine through in their delicious, award-winning, certified organic foods.
We highly recommend you try this recipe using Native Harvest Wild Rice, which grows naturally in the lakes of Northern Minnesota and is hand-harvested by indigenous Ojibwe communities using traditional methods. Unlike the genetically manipulated "wild rice" grown in paddies, this truly wild rice is an important American heirloom crop and a central part of Ojibwe culture and tradition. One taste of the distinctive flavor of authentic wild rice and its mass-produced cousin will dull by comparison.
As always, try and get the freshest veggies you can find at your local farm stand or farmers market!
Ingredients for 10 Servings
• 2 Tablespoons Organic Valley Salted Butter
• 2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, peeled & minced
• 2 Tablespoons shallots, peeled & minced
• 1 Cup mushrooms (your seasonal choice: shitakes, criminis, etc.), wiped clean & sliced thin
• ¾ Cup Native Harvest Wild Rice, rinsed
• ¾ Cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed
• 4 Medium carrots, cut lengthwise & diagonally sliced
• 2 Quarts veggie broth
• 2 Bunches asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1” pieces
• 2 Cups seasonal & regional greens (beet greens, baby spinach, bok choy, etc.)
• 2 Cups Organic Valley Half & Half
• 1 Medium red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, washed & patted dry; then chopped fine
• ½ Teaspoon dried tarragon
• Sea salt & black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. In a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté garlic, shallots and mushrooms in butter, over medium heat, for 5 minutes. Add rinsed wild and brown rices and cook for another 3 minutes. Add carrots and herb broth, and turn up the heat to medium-high until boiling. Allow mixture to boil for 10 minutes or so, then reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Allow soup to simmer for 35 minutes.
2. While the soup is simmering, prepare the asparagus by trimming the tough ends off and cutting the spears into 1” pieces, reserving the beautiful tips in a separate bowl. Simmer the asparagus spears and seasonal greens in a bit of water until bright green and crisp-tender.
3. Place semi-cooled greens in a food processor with 2 cups of half and half, and process until smooth and creamy. Add the creamy greens to the rice mixture, the rice will still be slightly firm, along with the chopped red bell pepper, parsley and tarragon. Simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes, then add the reserved asparagus tips. Allow to simmer for another 20 minutes or until the soup is of desired consistency. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
4. Top with fresh watercress, chives or parsley. Enjoy!
Copyright by Organic Valley Family of Farms ©
To visit the web site of the farmers' coop go to: Organic Valley Family of Farms
To purchase this authentic heirloom wild rice, hand-harvested by Ojibwe communities go to: Native Harvest Wild Rice: Sacred Manoomin
