Wild Mushroom Barley Wild Rice and Beef Soup

Yup, the name is a mouthful, but this is a thick and hearty soup. Something I do a lot of in the days leading up to the holidays to save room for the BIG feasts and treats.  The soup is full of woodsy mushrooms, whole grains and veggies in a very tasty beefy broth.

This is one of those rare situations where I won't reconstitute a dried mushroom.  No need as it imparts its woodsy deep flavor right into the broth while absorbing the herbs and other flavors.  Makes a lot more sense then just rehydrating and adding a lot of water to the 'shroom when it should be all about adding flavor.

I use pearled barley.  Tried the unpearled, or barley with its husk on once.  The texture was too crunchy and it took forever to cook up.  What you loose in the lack of the bran coating you more than make up for with texture and ease of cooking.  Even pearled barley does take a while to cook up.  45-60 minutes depending on the age and dryness so it needs to go in before the wild rice.

Wild Mushroom Barley Wild Rice and Beef Soup

• 1 lb beef roast - 1/2" cubes
• 1 onion - diced
• 3 ribs celery with tops - sliced
• 3 carrots - sliced
• 1 c dried porcini mushroom pieces
• 2 t Thyme
• 1 t salt
• 1 t black pepper
• 1 c pearled barley
• 1/3 c wild rice
• 1 large (48oz-ish) can beef broth (I use swansons)
• 1 small can beef broth

In large stock pot add enough olive oil to cover bottom of pan.  Add onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper, cook over low heat until onion is translucent.  Add barley and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add large can beef broth, thyme and dried mushrooms.  Raise heat to medium and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 20  minutes. 

Add wild rice and cook another 30-45 minutes until barley and wild rice are cooked through.  Add additional broth from the small can as needed to keep it at a thick soup consistency.  Check for seasoning and add salt if needed.  Serve hot with crusty buttered bread.

Monitor liquid levels as the soup simmers dryness of barley and wild rice determines how much additional borth needs to be added during the cooking process to keep it at a thick soup consistency.

Happy Thanksgiving and a recipe for dressing too!

So when it comes to Thanksgiving and the other holidays I stay pretty true to tradition and include the usual turkey, stuffing and the rest of the goodies.

I got hooked on Ina Garten's "Herb Roasted Turkey" Breast a few years ago and its a staple. Why? Well its is absolutely phenomenal to start and there is no carcass left to deal with the day after (no one in my house 'cept me is a dark meat eater). For cranberry sauce I absolutely love Nigella's "Redder than Red" cranberry sauce...who knew a shot of cherry brandy could do so much for a simple sauce.

Years ago, 21 to be precise as a wedding gift my dear friend in Minnesota sent me a wild rice cook book and there I got hooked on the stuff. Cranberry, wild rice are a perfect combo fresh from the northern swamps and quite tasty together. I got the wild idea I don't know how many years ago to include cooked wild rice in my stuffing. It with cranberry give the stuffing a nice nutty and tart taste all at the same time.

Wild rice is an aquatic grass native to the Northern US and has a nice nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture when cooked right. You do have to cook it longer than regular rice to get through the thick hull. Under cook it and its like chewing on gravel, something you really don't want in stuffing. The age of the rice and how long it was roasted affects cooking time and how much water it needs to cook properly. Pay close attention to the directions on this one.

Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing

1 12 oz box seasoned stuffing mix

1 can chicken broth

1/2 c wild rice

1/2 c dried cranberry

1 c chopped celery

1 c chopped onion

1 t sage, divided

1 T garlic - minced

1/2 c butter (1 stick)

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

Place broth, wild rice and 1/2 t sage in sauce pot. Bring to boil then reduce heat to barely a simmer. Simmer 1 hour covered, stirring occasionally. Add additional water if the rice absorbs too much and starts to look dry. At the end of the hour, turn off the heat and allow the rice to steep another hour until cool. (I usually make the rice the day before the stuffing). Strain out the rice reserving what cooking liquid is left.

Dice the celery and onion. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle. Add the onion, celery and 1/2 sage. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute until onion is translucent, add garlic and cook one minute longer.

In large mixing bowl add dry stuffing mix. Add cooled drained wild rice and cranberry and toss lightly. Add onion mixture and toss lightly again. Take reserved cooking liquid and enough water to measure 2 cups. Stir egg into the cooking mixture then pour evenly over stuffing mixture. Toss lightly until evenly moistened.

Use as stuffing or pour into large casserole dish and bake 1 hour at 325F

Spinach and Rice Soup

After all of the mousse cake and fudge of the last few weeks its time to remind myself that healthy eating is a must. Nothing like a good hearty soup to sustain you while being healthy at the same time.

I used a prepackaged blend of brown, white, basmati and wild rice from Fresh and Easy market, any raw rice blend you find would easily be substituted in. If you are desperate and understocked in the old pantry just plain white rice could be used, you'd just miss out on some of the flavor and texture the other rices bring to the soup.

Spinach is there for several reasons, primary is that it is a mild green and full of folic acid and other goodies that make this soup extra healthy without clouding the good rice flavors and textures.

Spinach and Rice Soup

• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 4 medium carrots sliced
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup rice blend
• 12 oz package fresh spinach leaves
• 46 oz can low sodium chicken broth

Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil and add onion and carrot. lightly salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion is starting to turn translucent. Add rice and saute another 3 minutes or so, stirring often until the onion is clear and the rice is lightly toasted.

Add chicken, basil and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover at low simmer 30 minutes until carrots are tender and rice is fully cooked. Stir in the raw spinach and cook another 2-3minutes until wilted and well integrated into soup. Serve hot with a salad and fresh baked bread.