There’s something magical about this soup. It tastes more mushroomy than mushrooms and more comforting than a warm hug. (Well…maybe. I’m not sure exactly what warm hugs taste like.) The combination of fresh and dried mushrooms and the beautiful texture of the wild rice, combined with the depth that the sherry brings to the table, makes this an extra special dish.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Wild Rice
- 4 cups water
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic peeled and smashed
- kosher salt and pepper
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup wild rice
Soup
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 lb cremini (brown) mushrooms (or other fresh mushrooms of similar texture you prefer) chopped medium
- 1 large onion chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- ¼ oz dried shiitake mushrooms ground to a powder
- ⅔ cup dry sherry
- 4 cups chicken stock or vegtable broth
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chives minced
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
Instructions
Wild Rice
- Preheat oven to 375°. Place rack in middle position.
- Bring 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, peeled and smashed garlic, ¾ tsp kosher salt, and baking soda to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover and move pot to preheated oven. Cook for 35-50 minutes until rice is cooked.
- Strain rice through a strainer placed over a 4 cup measure, capturing rice cooking water. Discard bay leaf, garlic and thyme stem if you used fresh. Set rice aside and add water to measuring cup to total 4 cups; Set aside.
Soup
- Melt butter in a dutch oven over high heat. Add fresh mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomato past, ¾ tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are browned and dark fond forms on bottom of pot, approx 15 minutes.
- Add sherry, scraping up any browned bits and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, stock or broth, and soy sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, stock or broth, and soy sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Whisk cornstarch and ¼ cup cool water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir into soup thoroughly, return to simmer and cook about 2 minutes until thickened. Remove soup from heat and add cooked rice, chives, cream and lemon zest, stirring well to incorporate. Cover pot and let sit 20 minutes before serving.