⅔ c uncooked wild rice

kosher salt

olive oil

¼ tsp dried chili flakes

1 lb of fresh mixed mushrooms mushrooms you enjoy, thinly sliced

ground black pepper

4 Tbsp butter

1 leek (1½ when cut) white and light green parts only, cut crosswise into ⅛ inch thick slices

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp smoked paprika sweet or hot

¼ tsp carraway seeds slightly crushed

1 quart veggie broth

1 medium yukon gold potato peeled and diced into ¼ in cubes

fresh thyme sprigs small handful

2 sprigs rosemary

1 c heavy cream leave out or substitute whole milk yogurt

¼ c fresh dill chopped

Makes 2 quarts and serves 4 to 6.

COOK THE RICE: Place the wild rice in a medium saucepan with 1 tsp salt and water to cover by about 3-inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to an active simmer. Cook until the wild rice is fully tender and most of the grains have opened up, about 45 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure the water hasn' cooked off. All the water may not be absorbed, so drain thoroughly. Set aside.

BROWN THE MUSHROOMS: Pour a glug of olive oil (2 Tbsp) into a large skillet or dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in an even layer and season with the chile flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper. (Cook mushrooms in batches if pan can’t hold all of them in a single layer). Don't disturb the mushrooms until they're browned on one side and slightly crisp at the edges, about 10 minutes. Depending on the mushrooms, they may give off a lot of liquid; if so, just keep cooking until it has evaporated and then the mushies will brown. Scrape mushrooms into a bowl and set aside.

COOK THE LEEK: Return the pan or pot used for the mushrooms to medium heat, add the butter and the leek, and season with salt and pepper. Cook leek until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes, don’t let them brown.

BUILD THE BASE: Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two, then add the tomato paste, smoked paprika, and caraway seeds. Cook, stirring and scraping the pan bottom, until the tomato paste has darkened and thickened a bit, about 5 minutes. Add broth, potato, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potato pieces are tender and easily crushed with a fork, about 20 minutes.

FINAL ASSEMBLY: Add the cream, drained wild rice, and cooked mushrooms and simmer gently until the soup has thickened a bit and the raw ream flavor has cooked off, another 15 minutes or so. If the soup is getting very thick, add a bit of broth or water. The soup should be rich and creamy but not gloopy.

PREPARE TO SERVE: Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or chile flakes. If you can, fish out and discard the thyme and rosemary stems, then add the dill. Serve hot. The soup will be good in the fridge for up to 2 days. Don't freeze; the mushrooms go mushy.