Ingredients:
4 oz Reese’s Minnesota Wild Rice
16 oz Ore-Ida Diced Potatoes
6 cups water
4 Tsp Swanson’s Better-than-Bouillon Vegetarian base
1/4 Tsp Thyme
1/4 Tsp Oregano
1 Onion finely diced
1 4 oz Package Shiitake Mushrooms
1 16 oz Package White Mushrooms
1 lb Clam meat, chopped
1 lb Periwinkle meat, chopped
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 12 oz can Milnot
1 cup Half&Half
Salt and Pepper to taste
I thought that this would be a massive amount of protein but it just barely fed seven people. The consensus was that I could have made twice as much and it would have been eaten.
This is also pretty much the order that I made it in.
Step 1:
In my 12 quart stock pot, I added the bouillon and spices to the water, and I brought it to a boil. I simmered the rice and potatoes, covered, for forty-five minutes. The goal was to to cook the rice through. And while the potatoes were pretty much falling apart, it’s exactly the consistency for the soup that I wanted.
Step 2:
During that 45 minutes, in another pan, I sautéed the onion until transparent and added all the mushrooms. I like to keep the mushrooms moving around until they start giving up their liquid. At that point, I added both the clams and the periwinkle. I kept that mixture heating until it all started a slow boil. That’s where I set it aside.
Step 3:
With the clam/periwinkle/mushroom mixture off the burner, I moved my #5 cast iron skillet onto the flame. To give my soup some body, I like to make a roux of equal parts butter and flour. I keep the flour and butter moving in the skillet under medium heat until the color changed from blonde to a light brown, about 3-5 minutes. Then I tempered in about a cup of the c/p/m broth to make a slurry. I immediately transferred that slurry back to the c/p/m pan and reheated it to a simmer, stirring constantly and working out lumps if they formed.
Step 4:
I was pretty efficient and so needed to wait for the rice to finish before proceeding to this step. And I generally need help moving the sautéed items into the stock pot as both pans are hot and heavy. When everything is in the same pot, I brought back up to a slow simmer. Then, I turn the heat under the pan even lower. Then and only then do I add my Milnot and Half&Half. It’s just my opinion, but I think that the flavor and texture change if you boil the milk. Once it returns to even the smallest of simmering, it’s done. Turn it off. And serve.
