Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
8 cups chicken stock, defatted
rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 carrot, grated
1 large celery stalk, minced
2 whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned, and diced (optional)
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup light evaporated milk
1/3 cup Madeira wine
salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse rice under water at least 2 times. Drain and set aside.
Saute onion, garlic, and scallions in olive oil 2 minutes.
Add rice and chicken stock and cook 45 minutes.
Add lemon rind and juice, thyme, parsley, carrot, celery, chicken (optional), and mushrooms and cook 40 minutes more.
Stir in evaporated milk, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend well and heat over low heat 2 minutes, making sure mixture does not boil.