¾ cup wild rice
3 ½ cups vegetable stock, divided
1 bay leaf
2 links spicy Italian sausage, cut into small bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced oyster mushrooms
1 cup diced Italian oyster mushrooms
1 cup diced portobello mushrooms
2 leaks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (1 ½ teaspoons dried)
1 large purple or Idaho potato, diced
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons marsala wine
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh black pepper, to taste

Rinse off the wild rice. Place rice, 1 ½ cups vegetable stock, and the bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed.

Brown the sausage in a frying pan and put aside. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the three different mushroom varieties and the leaks, and sauté for about 10 minutes.

Add the rosemary, potato, and garlic to the saucepan and continue to stir. Add the remaining 2 cups vegetable stock. Remove from heat, purée the soup with a blender or a food processor, and return to pot.

Turn the heat down to low, and stir in the cream, marsala wine, and browned sausage. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly, and then add the wild rice and cook gently for another few minutes. You can add more water or stock to thin the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with rosemary.

As a side, toast fresh bread topped with Gruyere cheese.

Tags: November 2016, recipe