Ducks and Wild Rice

By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley

Many migrating ducks and geese depend on the wild rice beds of the Great Lakes region to fuel their long flights south in the fall. As it happens, the fall migration coincides with the ripening of wild rice seeds—a nutrient-rich grain that grows in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways. It’s a no-brainer to prepare ducks alongside this ancient grain. The following recipe marries these two incredible wild ingredients in a favorite regional dish.

The Ojibwe people of Minnesota have relied on wild rice for sustenance for centuries. They use a traditional method called wood parching—roasting the rice over fire before agitating the grains to loosen the hulls. This process yields wild rice that is toasty and light brown. Wood-parched wild rice also cooks much faster and is more tender than the widely available cultivated wild rice, which is black and requires much longer cooking time. Use whichever rice you can find for this recipe.

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

You can make this soup with a fresh duck or goose carcass that is left over after you have removed the breast meat and legs, or after you’ve enjoyed a roasted whole bird. This recipe is designed to encourage hunters to use the bones of waterfowl, which are often discarded, so it is relatively light on meat. To “beef up” the protein content, add duck or goose legs to the pot if you have them. Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 goose carcass or 2 duck carcasses
• 1 large leek
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 10 cups (2.5 quarts) hot water
• 2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 cup sliced cremini or shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
• Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

1. Chop white and light green parts of the leek and rinse well to remove grit. In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped leek, celery, thyme, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Sweat vegetables until leeks soften, about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently; do not brown. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

2. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir for 2 minutes. Then gradually stir in hot water. Break down duck or goose carcasses, if needed, to fit into the pot, and add them to the pot along with the wild rice. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until the wild rice blooms and becomes tender and you’re happy with the flavor of the stock. Black wild rice will take much longer to cook than wood-parched wild rice.

3. Remove the carcasses, pull off as much meat as you can, and then discard the carcasses and thyme sprigs. Return duck meat to the pot, along with sliced mushrooms, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Season soup with Better Than Bouillon base, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread and butter on the side.

Smoked Bones

I recently made Minnesota Wild Rice Soup with the carcass of a specklebelly goose that I had smoked last summer. After enjoying the breast fillets and legs, I knew I couldn’t throw away the bones and all their smoky goodness—you’d be surprised by how much meat you can glean from a carcass if you really try. So I dropped the carcass into a zip-top bag and threw it into the freezer. While the carcass from fresh or previously cooked birds will do just fine, using smoked bones and meat will add complexity to your soup.

About the Author: Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley is an outdoor writer, photographer, and editor who resides in Nebraska. She cut her teeth in the kitchen cooking wild game.