Brown Rice Soup With Asparagus

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3/4 cup brown rice
• 1/4 cup wild rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 celery ribs, 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 2 tablespoons green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon natural soy sauce (such as tamari)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Recipe

• 1 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.
• 2 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.
• 3 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.
• 4 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.