Or, what to make when you feel the same way you did on Monday.
In other words, more soup, please.
This time, I’m hearkening back to my Minnesota roots with a mushroom and wild rice affair. I don’t remember loving wild rice at the Minnesotan food fests of my childhood (nor do I remember loving the famous Walleyed Pike). However, thanks to my recent experiments, I think I might need to take a closer look.
This soup is a basic mushroom soup, partially blended, then enriched with a mix of chewy, nutty wild rice and basmati rice. Adding both at the same time, despite the difference in cooking time between the grains, means that the basmati melts into the soup and thickens it a bit, while the wild rice remains a chewy contrast.
I finished my bowl with a swirl of plain yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley. I don’t think you’ll be sad if you do the same.
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms (I used Crimini)
- 1.5 liters chicken or veggie stock
- ¾ cup wild rice + ¼ cup basmati, or 1 cup wild rice blend of your choice
- small pinch of thyme
- salt and pepper
- yogurt and parsley, to serve
- dice the onion, celery and garlic
- heat a medium pot over medium high heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil
- add onion, celery and garlic; season; cook until softened
- slice the mushrooms and add to the pot; season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned
- add pinch of thyme and 1 liter stock, bring to simmer & cook for 10-15 minutes
- using an immersion blender, partially blend the mushroom and stock mix until soup is mostly smooth with some blended pieces and a few intact mushroom slices.
- add rice blend; cook for about 30 minutes until basmati is falling apart and wild rice is just tender.
- taste for seasoning - add salt and pepper if you need to do so.
- at this point, you may need to add more stock (I did) until soup is a desired consistency.
- garnish with a swirl of yogurt and some parsley.