Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice, Ham & Cream

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Feb 20, 2011 at 6:50pm

vegetable soup with ham wild rice cream

When it snows, I make soup. And complain. And take ridiculously long baths. And pretend like I’m still on vacation.

John and I were in Costa Rica last week and it was…heavenly. Too heavenly. I have been in a massive funk ever since we returned.

The lovely view out of our home bedroom window that I normally love? Hideous to me. Who wants to see colorless snow after a week of blue-green ocean views? I was blessedly, easily warm the whole time we were there. I basked (too much) in the sun, swam in the ocean, listened to music, read two great books, and messed around on Twitter (the hotel had perfect wifi and ATT service, even on the beach) with my foodie friends while John surfed.

I had a blast.

It does make me wonder if I’m the type that should just grind through the winter and save the escape for the end of the season? Apparently I’m not very good at changing gears. It if were late March instead of February, I might be handling it all better…

A first-day-home dinner with Debbie & Stu The Wine Genius Williams at Corner Table Restaurant in Minneapolis helped. A double course of fresh eggs (poached over polenta, softly scrambled, rarrr) helped. As did the pork three-ways entree I inhaled (braised shoulder, belly, & sausage). Plenty of wine, serious laughs, a reason to go out with my minor tan – all good.

This soup helped too. It’s got a bit of wild rice, plus is quick to pull together while pleasantly smoky from ham. A splash of cream at the end makes it all snowstorm worthy (we’re receiving 8-10 inches as I write, sigh) without adding too much richness.

On a completely separate note, I did this short interview with Twin Cities Spark a few weeks ago. Fun!

Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice, Ham & Cream
Serves 6

1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. diced ham
1/2 c. each of sliced leeks, diced carrots, diced celery, diced parsnips, diced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 c. raw wild rice
6 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. whipping cream
salt & freshly ground pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in ham and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in leeks, carrot, celery, parsnips, mushrooms, garlic, and thyme and saute for another 5-7 minutes, until vegetables are softening. Stir in rice, then broth, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until rice is tender, 45-50 minutes.

Stir in cream and season with salt & pepper.

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Older Comments

  1. By FreshTartSteph on March 4, 2011 at 2:25PM

    Hahaha, you're allowed to be on the fence about parsnips. They're definitely root-y, but have a nice sweetness too that tastes good in soup. SO glad to hear that you enjoyed and found it just rich enough. I know, some soups are so over-the-top with cream, and flour, and cheese - I don't really get it. A splash can go far. Thanks for checking in!

  2. By Nee1017 on March 4, 2011 at 12:08PM

    I just made this soup. Delicious! I'm on the fence about the parsnips, but I love everything else and I love that you only use 1 tbls butter and 1/4 c. cream. I was skeptical, but it's incredibly rich and indulgent!

  3. By FreshTartSteph on February 27, 2011 at 5:19PM

    Ah, thanks Brenda :)

  4. By Brenda @ a farmgirl’s dabbles on February 27, 2011 at 4:30PM

    I sure enjoyed visiting Costa Rica via FreshTartSteph on twitter. :) This soup looks delicious. And beautiful photos, as always. xoxo

  5. By FreshTartSteph on February 26, 2011 at 6:26AM

    Katerina - Thank you, ha! I love leeks too, yum. They're under-used, right?

    Carmabelle - If you like fat free half/half, you could certainly try. You could also skip the cream altogether and enjoy the soup without it - still good.

  6. By carmabelle on February 25, 2011 at 4:58PM

    would fat free half and half work instead of cream?

  7. By Katerina (Daily Unadventures in Cooking) on February 22, 2011 at 8:42AM

    Beautiful looking soup, I love soups with leeks as an aromatic base - amazing!

    (Laughed out loud at your bio.)

  8. By FreshTartSteph on February 21, 2011 at 7:07PM

    Melissa - Thanks for the kind note. I look forward to checking out your blog. Yeah, snow...sigh. It's pretty...?
    Lauren - You're too sweet! Thank you.

  9. By lauren on February 21, 2011 at 2:17PM

    Oh that looks amazing and the picture is breath taking! Such great composition!

  10. By melissa@IWasBornToCook on February 21, 2011 at 10:32AM

    Sounds like you had a nice trip...back to reality is never fun, especially when snow is involved. We got some today too :( I'm glad I found your blog - this looks terrific!

  11. By FreshTartSteph on February 21, 2011 at 7:39AM

    Thanks Amy! It hit the spot yesterday...and will again today. I'd love to get to the store today too. Might not happen :)

  12. By Amy P. on February 21, 2011 at 4:54AM

    This looks like just the thing for a snowy day. Now all I need is a snow plow to clear a path to the supermarket.