Snow day alert! This is a good soup to make when the snow is silently falling outside and you have a relaxing day at home, all to yourself. Wait, when does that EVER happen?

My kids are all starting to pile up in my house again, first semester done and gone. It’s loud and busy, and what the heck, it’s still a good day to make soup. Come to think of it, it is always a good day to make soup. If you want to make sure you are getting a meals worth of nutrition, make soup. If you want to make sure everyone will be happy, satisfied, make soup. If you want to know that next day’s lunch is ready tonight? Make extra soup! In this world of convenience, quick and accessible, let’s get back to our roots. I believe that it is important to stay close to the season we are eating in and remember where we came from when it come to our food. My Minnesota relatives would appreciate the addition of hearty wild rice in this filling soup.The earthy mushrooms tap into my Eastern European roots. There is something about mushrooms and the winter that go so well together (besides being an excellent support for your immune system). I decided to mix things up by adding in some curry powder, which has nothing to do with my roots or where I came from. As I was making the soup it just seemed to make sense and I am glad I did. It was the delicious addition this soup needed. Hope you get a snow day soon so you can quietly enjoy the day while gently stirring your soup. It will be well worth it. 

Curried Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large leek, dark green cut off and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each coarse salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (or oat flour)
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups milk (almond milk or regular milk is fine)
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
4 cups shiitake mushrooms
1 small bunch kale, stem removed and chopped
3 cups cooked wild rice (cook according to package directions)
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons parsley

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the leeks, carrots and celery with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to get soft.

2. Stir in the flour and the curry powder, making sure to coat the vegetables well. Continue stirring for a few minutes more.

3. Slowly whisk in the milk. Add in the stock and bring up to a boil.

4. Add the mushrooms and bring down to a simmer. Cover the soup and cook for about 15 minutes.

5. Remove the cover of the soup. At this point you can leave the soup as is, or if you want a thicker soup (like I did) carefully ladle about 1/3 into a blender or Vitamix. Blend and add back to the pot to finish cooking.

6. Stir in the kale, sherry and parsley and stir until the kale is wilted. Taste the soup, you might want to add a bit more salt or pepper. Serve hot or cool completely and store for another snow day.

Important note: be sure to cook your wild rice before you add it to the soup! If you don’t it will absorb too much of the liquid. 3 cups cooked is about 1 1/4 cups uncooked wild rice.