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I wasn't sure about the whole hunting thing. I've got friends who's husbands are gone weekend after weekend during hunting season and it sounds like it takes a toll. But when Brian decided to tag along with his avid hunter high school friends it wasn't a huge deal to me as I thought it would be a great opportunity for a girls night and to catch up with old friends. I'm sure that will change down the road when kids enter the picture, but maybe I'll read back on this and remind myself to enjoy some time with others and excitedly await the deliciousness he's hopefully going to bring back.
I made it pretty clear that I want nothing to do with cleaning whatever he gets, but I'll cook it up for him. Never having made wild rice soup before, I was a little nervous when this was his request for his first bird. After researching a few recipes I went into it with a little more confidence and have to say, it turned out fabulous!
Since I made it on Halloween, I didn't want a whole bunch of pots and pans to clean up so tried to make it as simple as possible. A one-pot-wonder! And it worked great. It takes a little bit more time this way as you need to wait for the rice to cook but it sure makes clean-up easy. If you want to be more efficient, you could cook the wild rice separately (while cooking the bacon and poultry) and then add it to the soup at the end. You really can't go wrong with this one!
Ingredients
8 Strips of Bacon - cut into lardons (small pieces)
4 Grouse Breasts (or your preferred poultry) - about 2 or 3 cups when diced
1 leek (white part and greens) sliced into thin rings and cleaned
8 oz package of white mushrooms - cleaned and chopped
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 c. uncooked wild rice
3 c. chicken broth (plus 2 T. at end)
4 oz cream cheese - cubed
2 c. half and half
1 T. gluten free flour (I use Bob's Redmill)
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
cheddar and sour dough (or your favorite GF bread to keep it gluten free) bread for serving
Directions
Add bacon to large pot and cook over medium heat until fat has rendered out and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate to drain, leaving most of the grease in the pan.
Turn heat to medium-high and add cubed grouse, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until internal temperature is 160-165 degrees (it's okay if it's not exactly at 165 because it will go back at the end and can finish getting to temp then). Remove cooked grouse to paper-towel lined plate.
Add leeks to the pot, stir and cook for one minute. Add mushrooms and cook until just browned, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, salt and pepper. Stir and cook an additional two minutes. Stir in the wild rice. Pour 3 c. of chicken broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
Add cream cheese and whisk until melted and smooth. Pour in half and half and whisk to combine. In a small bowl, mix together 2 T. chicken stock with 1 T. flour. Pour into soup and whisk to combine. Check for seasoning and add milk, cream or chicken stock (depending on your taste) to thin out if needed. Add chicken and bacon back in and bring to a simmer.
Top with shredded cheddar and serve with a side of sourdough.