Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
Classis deep winter remedy to warm your bones. Chicken is
optional so hang on vegetarians this is for you too. If you
want chicken, cook chicken ahead of time, 4-6 boneless/skinless
thighs.
- Step 1: Oven to 350˚. Grab
the following:
- 4 ¼ cup water
- Sprig of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- ¼ t baking soda
- 1 cup wild rice
- salt and pepper
- Step 2: Put all the above
into dutch oven or stock pot that is oven safe. Bring rice
to a boil, then cover and bake at 350˚ for about 45 minutes.
Gather and prep remaining ingredients:
- 4 T butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lbs mushroom mix of crimini + shiitake, thinly sliced.
- 1 t tomato paste
- ⅔ cup white wine (drier the better, but use what you
have in the fridge)
- ¼ oz dried mushrooms (shiitake or forest blend), grind
into a course powder (recommend a coffe grinder or mortar
and pestle)
- 4 cups chicken broth (sub veg broth if needed)
- 1 T soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 T cornstarch
- ¼ cup to ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chives, minced
- ½ t lemon zest
- Step 3: Place a bowl under
a mesh strainer. Strain rice and reserve the cooking liquid,
set aside to be added later. Discard the sprig of thyme,
garlic and bay leaf. Add enough water to the reserved
cooking liquid to equal three cups.
- Step 4: Melt butter in
dutch oven over high heat. Add criminis + onion + garlic +
tomato paste + dashes of salt and pepper as needed. Cook,
stirring occassionally until until mushrooms soften and brown
about 15 minutes. Add wine, scraping up the brown bits.
Cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about two minutes.
- Step 5: Add the ground
dried mushrooms + reserved rice liquid + broth + soy sauce
and bring to boil. Reduce heat low, cover and simmer until
all is real tender, about 20 minutes.
- Step 6: Whisk corn starch
+ ¼ cup of water. Stir this into the soup, return to
simmer and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and stir
in the cooked rice....this is the
part where you add the cooked chicken if you like.
Add cream + chives + lemon zest. Cover and let stand at
least 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot and warm them bones! Bask in the bisque of this
Minnesota Northwoods classic.