A taste of Minnesota on the west coast

I was feeling a little homesick all week, and then I found a gold mine in our cupboard - half a package of Minnesota wild rice from the farmer's market that was right behind our St. Paul apartment.  I think one of the things I miss most about the midwest is coming in from a cold, snowy day and settling down for a fantastic bowl of hearty soup.  Growing up in Wisconsin, that was usually my mom's chili (with noodles, blasphemy to some of you, I'm sure), or my grandma's chicken and dumpling or rutabaga soup.  There's something so homey and welcoming about soup.  So tonight, I made cream of chicken, mushroom and wild rice soup.  It was good, not amazing.  I think I put in too much thyme, not enough salt, and the chicken lost a lot of it's seasoning by being frozen for several months, but it satisfied the craving for something from home.

1 whole bag of pearl onions
8 cups chicken broth
1 massive carrot, chopped (probably about 2 cups)
1 cup of wild rice
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves of minced garlic
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 of a rotisserie chicken
1 1/2 c sliced portobello mushroom
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1)  To peel the pearl onions easily, put them in a small sauce pan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.   Let boil for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly in cold water for 3 minutes.  Cut the ends off each onion and peel off the paper.
2) Mix the onions, broth, carrot, rice and spices.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about an hour.
3) Melt butter, stir in the flour, and then mix in the cream.  Slowly mix the cream mixture into broth mixture.
4) Mix the chicken and the mushrooms in.  Simmer until heated through and soup has thickened.

Serve with fresh bread or crescent rolls and a big tall glass of milk.  Mmmm.... just like being a kid again.