Recipe: Byerly's Wild Rice Soup a la Ginny (1980's)

BYERLY'S WILD RICE SOUP A LA GINNY

"This soup comes from Byerly's, a store in Minneapolis," Dorothy Megarry says. "A friend tried to duplicate it and developed this recipe. I've seen the original and I think this is better. We serve this on Christmas Eve."

The recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked wild rice, so have that prepared ahead of time. Megarry likes to make it a day before serving so the flavors have time to meld. Megarry likes the recipe as is, but the original recipe called for 1/2 cup half-and-half and 2 tablespoons sherry added in at the end and heated until warmed through.

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped onions
1 tablespoon sliced green onions
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/3 cup finely diced carrots
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
2 cups cooked wild rice (about 1/2 cup raw)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 bay leaves
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig each fresh, or
parsley/ marjoram/ thyme and basil)
1 teaspoon dried herbs, tied in cheesecloth
Pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped ham
1 skinless boneless chicken breast, chopped

In a stockpot, melt butter. Add the onions, green onions and almonds and saute until vegetables are slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add carrots, celery, wild rice, sugar, MSG, turmeric, bay leaves, chicken broth, bouquet garni and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove bouquet garni. Add ham and chicken breast and cook for 10 minutes.

Servings: 6
Source: Dorothy Megarry, 1982
From: Atlanta Journal-Constitution