Have you ever been to the Northern country? I mean like Minnesota and Wisconsin!
Once you arrive, immediately make your way to a roadside café, and order wild rice mushroom soup. this dish is truly life changing.
You see I am originally from Minnesota, born and raised there until I was 5. with dad growing up on a Wisconsin farm, and mom growing up in the city, of course it was fate that my mom and dad were to meet that snowy night in December 1945.
The story goes that they met at a dance, where she was introduced to him a friend whos boyfriend knew of this young single dashing young man, in need of a date. Well they dated so to speak for more than 45 years!
They produced three very good looking children, and every summer from then on, they loaded the family into the station wagon and off we went to visit the city and the farm.
It was not until many many years later, in my adult years, that I came upon this soup, believe it or not. I was on a long business trip for work, and many nights in a hotel can get quite tedious and boring.
This was in February in Minnesota, so my outside options were non existent, unless I was an eskimo who could enjoy the sub zero temps, ice and snow, and wind chill of negative 15! I spent many nights sitting in the hotel hot tub and ordering room service.
It was by chance that one night I ventured out to the in hotel restaurant, just so I could see other human faces, and have a nice hot meal. The soup of the day was the Wild rice mushroom soup!
https://longearsfarm.org/recipe/wild-rice-mushroom-soup/
The rest is history, I have spent many years trying to perfect my own version of the wonderful meal.
The recipe that I have made, comes really close to that first encounter.