vegetarian wild rice soup

if you remeber, back in december, i made a version of this soup with chicken. it was so good, so perfect for a cold winter night, that i declared it "one of the best soups i ever had." this version, a tweaked version of the other, is so good, i can't declare a winner. they're both at the top of the list.

vegetarian wild rice soup
adapted from the pastry affair
45 or 75 minutes, serves 8

there are two ways to make this soup, depending on how much time you have. i made the soup on a weeknight, so the night before (once all the dishes were done and i planned to watch tv for an hour), i cooked the wild rice. i stored it in the refrigerator and added it to the soup the next day. if you have a longer block of time, go ahead and cook the rice in the soup.

1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, diced
3 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry sherry

1. if you don't have enough time to cook the rice in the soup, cook it the day or night before, according to the package directions.
2. when you plan to eat the soup, melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. cook the leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
3. add the flour and stir until blended into the vegetables. cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute, until the flour is browned.
4. add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. turn the heat down to low, and if you haven't precooked the wild rice, add it now and cook until the rice is done, about 1 hour. if you did precook the rice, simmer for 30 minutes and then add the cooked wild rice.
5. stir in the cream and sherry. cook a few minutes until heated through. season with salt and pepper.