Lately, I have been spending much time thinking about how to comedically capitalize on the current state of weather in New York:
“I’m snow over it.”
“Hail no.”
“It’s snow bad outside.”
Yeah, I know. I gave up.
The magic of snow days is gone; now I just whine about the delivery guy taking too long to bring me my Snapple and the bus never coming. Everything takes too damn long when there are shoulder-height snow banks.
Although I have become jaded by the current precipitation, I have used the mood of mother nature to justify my latest culinary excursion: carrots, fennel, bacon, wild rice and a handful of friends to make this one big party in a pot.
Lucky for you guys, I’ve included the recipe for such a fiesta. It’s a very flexible plan for soup; it can be made vegan, or you can go all-out carnivore. Go crazy.
- 1 cup onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil + as needed
- 1 1/2 cups carrot, sliced width-wise, about .25” thick
- 1 1/4 cups chopped fennel
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup julienned bacon (“fake”-on or turkey bacon will work, too!)
- 7 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 1/4 tsp basil
- salt and pepper, to taste
1. In large pot, heat olive oil ‘til hot (but not smoking!)
2. Add onions. Stir well to coat with oil. Add salt & pepper to taste. Keep stirrin’!
3. When onions are translucent— about 3-4 minutes of stirring and cooking—add garlic.
4. After a good 2 minutes have passed, add carrots, fennel and tomato paste.
5. Fennel getting opaque? Good. Keep stirring, and toss in the bacon.
6. Sautee for another 2 minutes. Now add the spices, and stir well to coat the vegetables with the oregano and basil. Taste the mixture— you may want to add more salt or pepper, depending on your personal taste.
7. After you have adjusted the mixture to your tastebuds, pour in the stock, and shortly thereafter, the wild rice.
8. Bring soup to boil, turn down to simmer. Let simmer until rice has cooked. Serve hot with plenty of gluten-free toast and tea!
THIS RECIPE IS
- peanut and tree nut-free.
- no sesame or soy.
- contains absolutely no creatures of the sea—that means no fish or shellfish.
- no wheat, no gluten.
- no eggs or milk, either!
- adaptable to vegan lifestyles
- made for leftovers!
