When I went with my parents to Italy years ago, one of the few items we considered buying as a souvenir was dried porcini mushrooms. They were cheap and prolific. But we never pulled the trigger, and my mom and I were kicking ourselves as soon as we got home.
If you’ve ever shopped for dried porcini mushrooms in the States, you know they can be quite pricey. So I’ve generally avoided recipes that call for the ingredient. But I was recently gifted a bag of these prized fungi and my mind immediately started racing with ideas of how to use it.
Enter this wild rice and mushroom soup, which features, you guessed it, dried porcini as well as plenty of fresh cremini mushrooms. Finish the dish with a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half for added richness, or not – the choice is yours. Either way, the soup is hearty yet healthy, and the flavor of the fungi shines through.
Recipe adapted from Saving Room for Dessert.
- 7½ cups water, divided
- 1 cup wild rice mix
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, divided
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced
- 1 leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a large pot, combine 6 cups water, rice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 garlic clove and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well, discard the garlic and thyme, and set aside.
- Heat remaining 1½ cups water until hot - about 2 minutes in the microwave should do. Add dried porcini mushrooms to water and set a small bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged; let stand until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove mushrooms from liquid and chop; reserve soaking liquid.
- In the same pot used to cook the rice, warm olive oil and butter over medium heat. Mince remaining garlic clove. Add minced garlic, cremini mushrooms, leek and tomato paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add chopped porcini mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
- Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, wine, reserved porcini mushroom soaking liquid and parsley. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- Add cooked rice and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream or half-and-half, if using, and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This looks so yummy. I must try this. I love mushroom soups, but I usually see them with barley. wild rice sounds perfect! And I even have some dried porcini on hand!
Thanks, Caitlin! I bet it would be delicious with barley, too. Enjoy!