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Food & Wine Recipe

Mid-Winter Soup

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  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: 8 FIRST-COURSE OR 4 MAIN-COURSE
  • VEGETARIAN

This vegetarian soup is almost a stew—thick, satisfying comfort food for winter. If you like, you could also use 3 cups of leftover cooked Wehani Rice, Black Thai Sticky Rice or brown rice in this soup. Add the rice shortly before serving—just ...

  1. 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
  2. 2 cups boiling water
  3. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  4. 1 medium onion, diced
  5. 1 cup raw Wehani Rice, rinsed
  6. 2 bay leaves
  7. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  8. 4 cups homemade vegetable stock or water
  9. 1 pound waxy potatoes, such as red bliss or Yukon Gold, cut into 1-inch dice
  10. 1/2 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch dice
  11. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  12. Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving
  1. Soak the porcini in the boiling water until softened. Drain, reserving the liquid; chop the mushrooms.
  2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir briefly. Add the rice, bay leaves, pepper, stock and the reserved porcini soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes and carrots and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until the rice and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the salt and simmer for a few minutes more. Ladle the soup into bowls and pass the cheese and parsley at the table.

Suggested Pairing

Pair with an earthy California Pinot Noir.