Ham & Gruyere Chowder with Wild Rice

By WaffleCrumbs

Ingredients

• 4 T. butter
• 1 lg. onion, small-diced, about 2 cups
• 2 carrots, small-diced
• 2 stalks celery, small-diced
• 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 t. paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press
• 1/4 c. flour
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 2 c. cooked wild rice blend (I like Lundberg's)
• 2 c. small-diced leftover ham (you could use a large dice if your family isn't ready to kill you over ham)
• 2 c. cream (I'm sure you could use half and half, but I had cream)
• 1/4 c. finely chopped parsley
• 4 c. grated Gruyere cheese, tossed with 2 T. flour

Details

Adapted from soup-a-woman.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Be careful not to brown it. Add diced onions and stir and saute them until they take on a lovely golden yellow color. You're not looking for full caramelization, but definitely past the point of simple translucence. Maybe 12 minutes or so?

Add in the carrots, celery, pepper, paprika, and the bay leaf. Continue to saute for an addition 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften. Stir in the garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Add flour and stir until all the vegetables are well coated and flour has lost its raw flavor. 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add rice and diced ham and simmer 10-15 minutes or so, until ham is heated through and flavors combine. Stir in cream and heat until small bubbles are forming around the edges, stirring frequently. Remove the bay leaf and add in the parsley.

Turn heat to very low. Stirring constantly, add Gruyere one small handful at a time, waiting until each handful is completely melted and incorporated into the soup before you add the next. Once all the cheese is melted, serve!

If you re-heat this, be careful not to boil or it may separate.