Mushroom and Wild Rice Comfort Soup
Autumn has settled damply upon the Pacific Northwest like a damp towel
of dampness with the perma-mist that isn't remotely rain and definitely
isn't the temperateness of Summer that we jealously try to hide from
the rest of the world.
This can mean just one thing for food lovers: it's time for comfort food! And, what better comfort food than soup?
I found this recipe years ago, and, while I'm sure I've altered it to the point of no return (including the blatant veganization), credit goes to Martha Stewart Living for the initial recipe.
Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients:
3/4 cup wild rice blend
3 teaspoon olive oil
1-1/4 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as button, cremini, and portobello, chopped into bite-size pieces
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon vegan butter substitute (I prefer Earth Balance)
3 leeks (white and pale-green parts only) quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sherry or Madeira
3 Tablespoon soy sauce
6 cups homemade or canned/boxed vegetable stock
2 Tablespoon vegan heavy cream
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
1.
In a small saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil. Add wild
rice. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. cook until tender 45-50
minutes. Drain; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and tender, about 7 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Cook half at a time, if needs be.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Melt "butter;" add leeks. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sherry and soy sauce; cook 1 minute more.
4. Add stock to pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 20 minutes. Stir in wild rice, "cream," and parsley; adjust seasoning and serve.
Original recipe: Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living, September 2003
Vegan Tip:
If you can't find any vegan heavy cream at your local Food-Mart it's actually quite simple to make yourself.
1/2 pound extra firm tofu
1 cup soy / rice / almond / hazelnut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumple tofu into blender, add almond milk and vanilla and blend until smooth. Uh, wise to not use a mixer here, unless you want an excuse to deep clean your kitchen. This will make much much much more heavy cream than you need for this recipe. Stores for 1-2 weeks refrigerated. Don't push your luck much longer than that.
--Amanda Luthy
Carol Borrelli on December 28, 2008 at 03:13 PM
I made the soup this weekend and it was DELICIOUS. I have enough for two servings tomorrow for lunch, that's it. We wiped it out.