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Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Source of Recipe

From "The New Cooking School Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Earthy, creamy, and bursting with mushroom flavor, this soup belies the simplicity of its humble ingredients. This recipe is a lesson in building a savory flavor base without relying on meat. We employ a variety of potent boosters—tomato paste, soy sauce, dry sherry, and plenty of garlic—to amplify the flavor of the mushrooms. Cooking our mushrooms and onion with tomato paste over high heat develops a fond that gives the soup depth. And dried shiitakes—another umami booster—deliver another dose of mushroom flavor. As for the wild rice, we cook that separately in the oven, adding a pinch of baking soda to help it tenderize faster. And we reserve the earthy rice cooking liquid to add even more flavor to our soup. White mushrooms can be substituted for the cremini mushrooms. We use a spice grinder to process the dried shiitake mushrooms, but a blender also works."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 ¼ cups water, divided
â—¦ 1 sprig fresh thyme
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ 5 cloves garlic, peeled (1 whole, 4 minced)
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 cup wild rice
â—¦ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick
â—¦ 1 onion, chopped fine
â—¦ 1 teaspoon tomato paste
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pepper
â—¦ â…” cup dry sherry
â—¦ 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
â—¦ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
â—¦ ¼ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, ground fine using spice grinder
â—¦ ¼ cup cornstarch
â—¦ ½ cup heavy cream
â—¦ ¼ cup minced fresh chives
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring 4 cups water, thyme sprig, bay leaf, whole garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium oven-safe saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan; transfer to oven; and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup, discarding thyme sprig, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.

Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, tomato paste, pepper, minced garlic, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, about 15 minutes.

Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, and reserved rice cooking liquid and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover; and simmer until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water together in bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Serves 6 to 8