along the 'Grand Lake' and a bowl of soup

Earlier this month we took a day trip around the Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, the second largest in the state. It 'overflows' three counties; I took this photo on the Crow Wing County side. Mille Lacs means Misi-zaaga'igan (grand lake) in the first Americans' Ojibwe language.
The silver hue of the clouds that day and the gray water reminded me of a fish. . .maybe because this area is considered the walleye capital of the state.

This area is also known for its wild rice cultivation -- 60,000 acres of natural wild rice is harvested in the traditional way. Yesterday I made this soup from a recipe I found in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, using the hand harvested 'grass' rice rather than the paddy rice.

MUSHROOM-WILD RICE SOUP

Serves 6 to 8
Use any combination of mushrooms here. The soup is easily frozen. It's hearty without being heavy. You may enrich it with a swirl of sour cream or heavy cream. It makes a fine vegetarian dinner paired with crusty bread and sharp cheese and a salad.
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 lb. cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered [I used baby Bellas]
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 large shallots, minced
• 8-9 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 c. wild rice, rinsed under running cold water
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
Directions
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms with a little salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are soft and brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir in the carrots and shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, wild rice, thyme, parsley and season with more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with more chopped parsley. [yum!]

Visit Sky Watch Friday to see more 'skies from all over our planet.' Happy Friday and happy soup eating!