Soup Season!
It’s winter, which means that it’s officially soup season! I’ve grown up in New York, for all of my life, so I’m familiar with the aggressively cold weather that graces our presence. And you know what? There’s nothing better than a nice hot bowl of soup to warm you up! Today, we have a Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup!
Mushroom are probably one of my favorite foods. I don’t know why I love them so much, but I’ve loved eating them ever since I was a child. Stuffed mushrooms? Yes, please. Wild mushroom risotto? Heck yes! Truffle pizza? Sign me the f*ck up!
Feelin’ the Fungi
This Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is packed with flavor and has a deep earthiness from the mushrooms and mushroom stock. We start by sweating leeks, onions, and garlic. Then we add in white wine, thyme, and bay leaves. All of these ingredients are what we call aromatics. They develop and contribute to the base flavor of the soup, which is why it is so flavorful.
If you have any leftover soup, be aware that the soup will thicken over time. Wild rice is a starch, so it will continue to soak up moisture over time. Because of this, the soup thickens. If you like your soup thick, go ahead and warm up the soup. However, if you want your soup to be thinner, just mix in a little stock or water to loosen it!
A Rough Start
Going off track a little bit, 2020 is off to a rough start. I certainly hope that yours is going much better than mine. I came back to school from winter break to find that my fridge had broken while I was away. All of the food left inside had spoiled, and I had to throw it away. Because I was unaware of this until I came back, I bought refrigerated and frozen food items to bring back to school. Now, I’m stuck with a broken fridge and freezer and foods that needs to be refrigerated and frozen. Do you see my dilemma? Thank god that my dad helped me bring everything in a cooler. So that’s what’s currently keeping all of the food slightly chilled for now.
The fridge company will be coming to replace the fridge in a few days, and who knows what state the food will be in by then. However, I’m determined to save as much food as possible. I’m probably breaking 100 food sanitation rules and may possibly get food poisoning, but I absolutely hate the idea of wasting food.
Recently, I went to the Arcadia Earth Museum, which has exhibits educating people on sustainability and how to clean up our environment. And one way of doing so is by limiting our food waste. Because I just visited the museum, I feel terrible about throwing perfectly good food away as well as wasting my parents money. I already had to toss the spoiled food in my fridge, so I don’t even want to think about having to throw away the new food I brought back with me.
Along with this, I have some major assignments for my classes and some other school complications going on. The problems themselves aren’t that stressful, but all of them occurring at the same time feels like snowflakes accumulating to become a snowstorm. I realize these situations aren’t life threatening and that there are other people in the world that have bigger problems, but I think it’s important to realize that your emotions are valid.
While it can be hard to let go of stress, what keeps me from being in a slump is knowing that this isn’t forever. This is just a time period that isn’t so great. I know it can be hard to think positively when everything sucks. I’ve been guilty of purposefully letting myself fester in anger and frustration. However, I’ve also learned that doing so is draining, and I have to power to change my mindset. This is easier said than done, and something I’m still working on.
Soup Warms the Soul
I was kind of in a rut as to what to write for this post. Don’t get me wrong — I love this soup — but the creative juices were not flowing. I also didn’t want to try to pull something from my ass, and be all happy in this post when I’m not. I feel like every time I give a life update on here it’s always somewhat negative, and I apologize for that. I’m trying to be more optimistic. But it’s like a tradeoff you know? I give you recipes, and you let me vent.
If there was anything that could lift my spirits at this time, it would be this Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup. And I’m not just saying that! There’s something about soup that’s so comforting and feels like a mother’s hug. This soup brings me back to less stressful times when I was just chillin’ with my dad at home, eating this soup for dinner.
So, if your 2020 is starting off a little shaky, know that you’re not alone. Try to lift your spirits, drink a big ole bowl of soup, and remind yourself that this state you’re in isn’t forever. Don’t let the beginning of the year define the rest of it. Somehow, you’ll come out on top. Hopefully, I will return next week with better news and brighter spirits. Until then, have a great day and I’ll talk to you soon!
Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ Onion (¼ inch dice)
- 1 Leek (thinly sliced)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1½ lbs. Mixed Mushrooms roughly chopped (I used a mix of baby bella, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms)
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¾ cup White Wine
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- 4 cupf Beef Broth
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1½ tsp Chopped Thyme Leaves
- 1 cup Cooked Wild Rice
- 4 oz Mascarpone Cheese
- Heavy Cream (for drizzling on top)
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium high heat. Place the butter into the pot and allow it to melt. Add in the onion, leeks, and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion and leeks soften and turn translucent. Mix in the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Pour in the white wine and cook until it has reduced by half and the alcohol is cooked off. Mix in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add in the beef broth, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat so that it is simmering. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Add half of the soup into a blender. Blend until smooth then pour it back into the pot.
- Mix in the wild rice and mascarpone. Taste the soup for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Serve the soup in a bowl. Drizzle heavy cream on top and garnish with chopped chives. Enjoy!
