By Liam tried solid food. Rice cereal, which is apparently the traditional first food even though the evidence for it is somewhat weak, but the pediatrician recommended it and I'm a nurse who defers to pediatricians on pediatric things because that's not my floor. I put a tiny amount on a spoon and offered it and he stared at it for three seconds and then opened his mouth with the specific enthusiasm of someone who has been waiting for this their whole life, which is five months, which is technically his whole life.
He hated it. The face he made when the cereal hit his tongue was a complete sentence. He looked at me like I had betrayed him personally and then spit it out onto his bib with the efficiency of someone who has learned that direct action produces results.
Sean watched from across the kitchen and laughed until he had to put his coffee down. I gave Liam a second spoonful. He accepted it, considered it, and decided it was acceptable on reflection. By the fourth spoonful he was leaning forward for the next one. He's going to be a person who hates new things and then loves them. I recognize the pattern.
Late July. The light is already starting to shift, the late-afternoon quality of it changing in a way that registers as August approaching before August is actually here. I notice this every year and it always has the same effect—a gathering of attention, a sense of something about to turn. This year it's the return to work. The floor, the patients, the four-in-the-morning quiet of oncology. I'm ready. I'm also not ready. Both things can be true.
Liam’s first real bite of food, the late-afternoon light already hinting at August, the return to the oncology floor looming just around the corner—there’s something about a week like this that calls for a pot of soup on the stove, the kind that takes its time and fills the kitchen with warmth while everything else is shifting. I’ve made this creamy wild rice soup with ham more times than I can count at the turn of seasons, because rice has this way of feeling like a beginning, and right now beginnings are everywhere. It’s the meal I make when I need both hands free to be present, and something steady waiting for me at the end of the day.
Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Ham
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
- 2 cups diced fully cooked ham
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rice. Combine the wild rice with 2 1/2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40–45 minutes until the rice is tender and most liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Build the base. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Add the thyme, rosemary, and black pepper.
- Simmer and combine. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the cooked wild rice and diced ham.
- Finish with cream. Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Heat over low for 5 minutes until warmed through—do not boil. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 720mg