I swear that every time I have back-to-back travel or a high-stress work event like a photo shoot, I get horribly sick when I get home! I woke up on Sunday feeling just fine and then succumbed to a terrible bug for the next two days. I finally felt like eating late last night and threw together this soup on a whim. It was SO GOOD that I scrambled to write down the recipe before I forgot! All measurements are approximate, I literally tossed a bunch of things I had in the fridge in a pot (yes I know it's weird to have multiple varieties of mushrooms on hand).
Wild Mushroom + Rice Soup
14 oz. box of organic chicken or vegetable stock
2 good sized carrots, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2-3 red potatoes (or 1 small yukon potato, whatever you have), chopped
3 cloves of garlic, cut into quarters
Large handful of shitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
Carton of chopped portobello mushrooms (or chop a bunch yourself)
1/3 cup of rice
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
salt + pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread both types of mushrooms (really any mix is good, this is what I had on hand) on a cookie sheet, add the chopped garlic. Lightly top with olive oil, some of the fresh thyme, and s+p. Roast until deep brown and slightly carmelized - approx. 25-30 minutes in my oven.
2. Add a little olive oil to the pot, add the onion, potato, carrot, and celery (I'm sure there is a proper order for this but I forgot the potato until after all the other stuff was already in there. It was fine). Saute until soft.
3. Add mushrooms + garlic, broth, remaining thyme, s+p, and bring to a bowl.
4. Turn down the heat, roughly puree the soup (I use an immersion blender). If it's looking too thick, add additional broth. Taste test the seasoning, adjust as needed.
5. Bring back to a boil, add 1/3 cup rice. Turn down heat and cover for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!