I was trying to come up with a recipe to use the duck stock and had thought the lemoniness of the tomatillos in the backyard was growing would be an interesting addition. It turned out though that since all the other flavors in the soup were so assertive, the gently flavored tomatillos didn’t add much. Also I wasn’t crazy about their texture in the soup so I substituted a bit of lemon zest. The soup was fantastic though. Next time I would add some winter squash for color and a little sweetness and garnish it with some chopped parsley. Check out the links in the post if you are new to fennel, parsnips and leeks. Click for more info. Note that you will need 6 C altogether of stock. Enjoy.
Wild Rice, Mushroom and Duck Soup
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups duck stock
- 2 T duck fat or olive oil ( use the fat you skimmed off the stock)
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed & diced
- 2 parsnips, peeled & diced
- 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 6 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup leeks, diced
- 3 cups duck stock
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- Salt and pepper
- opt: reserved duck meat from the stock
Rinse the rice and cook in the 3 C stock for 30 minutes. In a large pot heat the fat and sauté the fennel, parsnips, and mushrooms (here is were I would add a cup or so of the diced winter squash I talked about in the opening) until the fennel is almost tender and the mushrooms have started to brown. Add the leeks and continue to cook until they are wilted. Add the rice and any remaining liquid, the stock and seasonings except the salt and the duck meat. Simmer the duck soup for about 45 minutes to combine flavors. Add the duck. Simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with some chopped parsley.
Variation:
Use chicken or turkey stock in place of duck. Great for after Thanksgiving leftovers.
Add 1 C diced butternut or delicata squash. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Oh my goodness – yum!!! I never cook with duck but I think that’s all going to change now that I’ve seen this! Love the flavour combination of the rice, mushrooms and duck. Delicious! Thanks so much for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party! xx
WOW. I’m going to NEED to make this. Or some variation of this. I’m drooling. I really need to eat breakfast.