Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prep
- Place dried porcini in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup hot broth. Let soak 20 minutes until softened. Lift out mushrooms, chop roughly, and reserve soaking liquid. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper towel to remove grit.
Cook the mushrooms
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cremini and shiitake in a single layer. Cook undisturbed 4-5 minutes until browned on the bottom, then stir and cook 3 minutes more until deeply golden and reduced by half. Transfer to a bowl.
Build the soup base
- Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, onion, and celery. Cook 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to color. Add garlic, thyme, and chopped porcini. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add wild rice, 5 cups broth, reserved porcini soaking liquid, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45-50 minutes until rice is tender and split open. Stir occasionally and add remaining 1 cup broth if soup gets too thick.
Finish and serve
- Stir in the sautéed mushrooms and any accumulated juices. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The soup should be creamy but still brothy, with distinct grains of rice.
- Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter and full-fat coconut milk instead of cream. The soup thickens considerably as it sits; thin with additional broth when reheating. Make the base through step 4 a day ahead, then finish with cream when reheating for the best texture.
