Mon. on Oprah

[Guest guest]

Did anyone watch Oprah's show yesterday? She had a cooking show and they made

a vegetarian soup that looked scrumptious.

Gloria

 

 

Brown Rice Soup with Asparagus

 

3/4 cup brown rice

1/4 cup wild rice

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

1 bunch asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 celery stalks, chopped fine (about 2/3 cup)

1/2 onion, chopped fine (about 1/3 cup)

1 small carrot, chopped fine (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons minced scallions or green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon natural soy sauce (such as tamari)

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Garnish

Parsley sprigs

 

Put the rice with the salt in 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring it

to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and

the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

 

Trim the tough ends off the asparagus stalks and discard. Steam the asparagus

until tender yet crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain it in a colander, then rinse

under cold water. Let the asparagus cool for a few minutes. When completely

cooled, cut into 1-inch pieces, reserving 1/4 cup of tips for garnish.

 

Coat the bottom of a large pot with the olive oil. Add the celery, onion,

carrot and thyme. Cover and cook over low heat for 4 minutes, stirring

occasionally, until tender. Add the vegetable stock and cooked rice and bring

to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the

heat and let cool a bit.

 

Carefully transfer small batches to a blender and blend until smooth. Return

all the blended mixture to a pot. Stir in the asparagus, scallions, parsley,

soy sauce, pepper sauce and ground pepper. Return to a simmer for 2 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips and parsley sprigs.

 

Serves 8.