Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

How to make Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup Recipe - These crispy morsels make great appetizers simply sprinkled with a bit of seasoning or eaten plain. They can also be used to garnish soup.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
Popped Wild Rice, see below
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1-1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced, including tops
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 pint whipping cream or half and half (1 cup)
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Popped Wild Rice:
Vegetable oil
Wild rice

Method:
Prepare Popped Wild Rice; set aside. Wash 1/2 cup wild rice in 3 changes of hot tap water. Add to 1-1/2 cups water in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 35 to 45 minutes or until rice is tender. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat butter. Add green onions and mushrooms.

Saute 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth.

Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Add boiled wild rice, cream or half and half and sherry, stirring until heated through. Garnish with Popped Wild Rice.

To prepare Popped Wild Rice:
Pour oil 1/2 inch deep in a large heavy skillet. Place a wire strainer in oil as you heat oil almost to smoking point. Add 1 tablespoon wild rice to oil in strainer. Remove with strainer as soon as wild rice stops popping. Drain on paper towels. Repeat. One tablespoon unpopped wild rice gives about 3 tablespoons popped.