Author Notes
Gluten-Free and Vegetarian, but easily Vegan, too. Filling and warming perfect autumn supper with plenty leftover for lunches. With or without half and half. —Alyce Morgan
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
Each: Salted butter and olive oil (Vegan: all oil)
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2
Onions, chopped
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3
Each: Carrots and Celery Stalks, chopped
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1
Fennel bulb, chopped
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1/2 teaspoon
Each: Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
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1/4 teaspoon
Crushed red pepper
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3
Garlic cloves, minced
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2 teaspoons
Thyme, dried--divided
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1 handful
Parsley, chopped
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1/2 cup
White wine (dry)
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3 tablespoons
Tomato paste
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2 cups
Water (or more as needed)
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8 cups
Vegetable broth, low sodium
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2/3 cup
Wild rice, Native-American grown/hand-harvested (washed several times)
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3 cups
Butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
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1 cup
Half and Half (Vegan:Rice/Almond Milk), optional
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1 cup
Pecans, toasted and chopped--garnish
Directions
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In a large soup pot, sauté until nearly tender onions, carrots, celery, and fennel in butter/oil over medium flame, stirring often. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic, one teaspoon of the thyme, and parsley; cook another minute or two.
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Add wine, stir very well, and let cook down two minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Pour in water and broth; bring to a medium boil and add wild rice. Let cook 45 minutes or until rice is nearly, but not totally tender, adding water if needed to ensure all ingredients are moving freely in the broth. Lower heat to a simmer; add butternut squash and other teaspoon of thyme. Cook another 12-15 minutes or so until both rice and squash are quite tender. Do not overcook. Squash pieces should remain intact. Taste and adjust seasonings.
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Stir in half and half or milk, if using. Warm through; do not boil. Taste and adjust seasonings again. Serve hot garnished with toasted pecans.
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Cook's Note: This soup improves over night. A few drops of hot sauce might be a happy addition for many people.
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