Soup Monday: Not your Campbell's cream of mushroom

Let me tell you how sad I am not to be eating this as I write. I enjoyed this soup to the very last drop. It is earthy, creamy (but there's not cream) and totally comforting. No doubt, I'll be making it again this winter. And that's saying a lot, considering the last time I had cream of mushroom it was a canned version, more than 20 years ago and I promptly got sick. I was at a sleep over. It was not at all pretty. This soup has turned me into a full-fledged cream of mushroom fan. As with most soups, the flavors in this one improved considerably overnight.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
adapted from The New Vegetarian Cookbook

Ingredients

1 lb. white mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
5 cups stock or water (I used a box of veggie broth, about a cup of water, and a 1/2 cup white wine)
1/4 cup long grain rice (I used basmati, but I'll go long grain next time. I'm sure it will only add to the flavor)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1 1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper

1. Put mushrooms, onions and celery in to a pot with oil. Heat until sizzling, add thyme and then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.

2. Add stock or water,  soy sauce, rice and seasoning. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes until vegetables and rice are soft.

3. Strain vegetables, reserving the stock, and puree until smooth in a food processor or blender. Return the vegetables and reserved stock to the pan.

4. Stir in the milk, reheat until boiling and taste for seasoning. Serve hot. Garnish as you wish.