Tonight was SUPPOSED to be spaghetti night. Simple, magical, reliable. Practically makes itself.
Somehow, or somewhere along the lines, plans changed.
First we weren’t in the mood for pasta.
Then we found ourselves meatless, save for ground Italian sausage.
Then we were reminded of the homemade chicken stock that was in need of using. And of the heaps of veggies I’d brought home and was slowly working my way through.
I believe my original intention with this dish was some form of rustic Tuscan vegetable soup. Pretty sure, given my open tabs and ingredient spread.
But like before, plans got changed.
Rice got added, for one. During cook time. In the same pot as the soup, even.
Now some of my more advanced culinary readers are rolling their eyes at this, but at the time, to me, it seemed a no-brainer. Boiling liquid? Add rice. After some internet poking, I’ve discovered soup rice is actually supposed to be made separately and added to the soup after. Keeps rice from absorbing all the liquid and getting all explody.
Teachable moment, my mom would say.
But all was not lost! The soup still lived. Though much thicker and porridge like than intended. The flavors, man did they live. And the veggies? They made it through this adventure losing only a little of their vibrant color.
And the pinot noir added at the end really kicks the mushroom flavor through the roof. Got the idea from the Chicken Marsala I made yesterday, only that was with a dry white wine.
See and now I’m all inspired to go mushroom/wine recipe exploring and see what I come up with. Maybe something involving toasted bread. And olive oil. Garlic? Yum. I love mushrooms.
And to think even a year ago I would’ve shuddered at the idea of accidentally eating one. Crazy how plans change.
2 tbs butter
1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 heaping tsp marjoram
1 heaping tsp thyme
1 heaping tsp Italian spice blend (oregano, basil, parsley)
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp celery salt
2 tbs Sriracha
2 tbs olive oil
3 ribs celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
5 cups homemade chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen green beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup pinot noir
salt + pepper
In a large stockpot melt butter on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and onions and saute until onions are translucent. Add your spices and Sriracha and saute 1 minute more.
Add olive oil, celery, carrot, and mushroom , give everything a nice tossing to coat, and cook 4-5 minutes or until celery begins to soften.
Turn up the heat to medium-high, and add tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Your pot should give a bit of a hiss when you add these. Stir everything, and slowly begin to pour in your chicken stock.
Let the soup reach a low boil before stirring in the peas, green beans, and corn. The frozen bits will cool the liquid, so you’ll need to let it sit a bit before it’ll reach a low boil again.
Once the soup begins to boil, add in your rice. Stir the pot again, turn the heat to medium low, set a timer for 20 minutes. Check in on the soup every few minutes, giving it a quick stir to keep the rice from sticking, but otherwise ignoring it.
Once the rice is cooked your soup is ready. Pour in the pinot noir which’ll really boost the earthy mushroom flavor and give the pot another good stir. Give the broth a quick taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Soup will be piping hot, but will smell incredibly amazing, so you’ll have to resist diving in right away or you’ll scald your tongue like I did.
I’m not saying it stopped me from devouring the bowl, but I am saying that I gave fair warning.
