A Riffable Sunday Soup with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

She’s Also Vegetarian

It’s a breezy and drizzly morning here in Hudson and I’m looking forward to spending the day in sweatpants, mostly in bed with a dog named Sugo tucked in next to me. I treated myself to a breakfast of soft scrambled eggs with lots of butter and a splash of heavy cream accompanied by a piece of toast slathered with more butter. A cup of strong tea would have been nice, but I was too hungry to wait for it to brew. An afternoon huddle around the wood stove is a strong possibility and whatever I end up making for dinner tonight will be served in a bowl. It’s my preferred vessel to eat things in, soup, stew, or otherwise. When not eating things deemed for a spoon, I also prefer a small fork for most meals. I believe this stems from the fact that my grandmother lived with us growing up and when I was asked to set the table, I unknowingly set her place with a salad fork, which she did not appreciate and made widely known. So although I’ve never explored this in therapy, I strongly believe my affection towards them is some sort of passive rebellion. But, you’re likely here for the recipes, not my family’s dysfunction (of which there is much to discuss), so I’ll carry on. 

This is a very good soup and it can be tweaked easily to your liking. I chose to use tarragon because it was at the farm store this week looking particularly verdant. However, I know some people have strong feelings about tarragon, so feel free to swap in thyme or sage, or a combination of both. I also call for a leek. Should you not have a leek, use a yellow onion or a very large shallot. I did not have wine on hand nor dry vermouth, but if I did, I would have used a ½ cup to deglaze the pan before the broth goes in. Lastly, I added heavy cream just before serving.