It’s that time of year everyone! Fall is right at our door and what better to bring in the cozy feeling that fall brings than soups! When thinking of home so many people can forget than our homes are just as diverse as we are, and there’s no better way to open a comforting new space than talking about the first people that called this country home.
For our first soup we have a chicken and wild rice soup. Wild rice, or manoomin in the Ojibwe language, holds cultural significance to the various tribes that call Wisconsin home. As shared by Nathan Breu, Wassagani Ojibwe, the manoomin was harvested in seasons to feed their communities for months at a time, hopefully for the whole year.
In Ojibwe prophecy, the people, originally located on the east coast, were told to travel west until the found the “food that floats on water.” The wild rice is regarded as sacred by many elders and is considered to be good medicine to the people. Food is described as being part of the essence of who these native people are. Just as music and arts, food is a way we preserve cultures and heal the people within our communities. With that here’s a chicken and wild rice recipe. Happy Indigenous People’s Day!
INGREDIENTS
2 large chicken breasts
Chicken stock
Thyme
Rosemary
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
2 Bay leaves
Cooking sage
½ Onion
3 smashed garlic cloves
Chicken bouillon
Carrot
Celery
Wild rice (traditional makes the difference!)
In a large pot add 6 quarts of water. Season your water, add the salt, pepper, chopped thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, smashed garlic cloves, chicken bouillon and half an onion. Bring this up to a boil. Once boiling add the two chicken breasts and boil until fully cooked, 30-40 mins depending how big they are. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out, add your chopped celery and carrots and add a carton of chicken stock. Let that come up to another boil and the wild rice. Let that simmer for 45 minutes. Once the chicken is shredded add that back into the pot and wait until wild rice is fully cooked. Remove garlic cloves, rosemary, bay leaves and onion and you’re ready to serve! Enjoy!