Spring is peeping around the corner, shyly tip-toeing out of hiding with milder days, tentative green shoots and best of all, the slow disappearance of the dirty gray snowbanks that have dotted our urban landscape for a long time now.Perhaps as punishment for my excitement over spring's beginnings, I have been absolutely slammed with a terrible cold. Nothing fancy: just your garden variety, extra sniffily, achy-coughy, snotty, fuzzy-headed cold. Ugh.
To make myself feel better, I have turned (of course!) to some serious comfort foods. Nothing says "comfort food" to me better than the old mushroom-soup and rice casserole, but these days I'm trying to stay away from the canned and condensed varieties of mushroom soup. Still, since I'm a little weak lately, I couldn't fathom creating a mushroom broth from scratch. So I compromised by using one of the fancier organic portobella soups from a carton to thicken my casserole. I enjoy Pacific Natural Foods brand, but obviously you should feel free to substitute whichever brand you fancy-- or get industrious and make some from scratch! I threw in some leafy greens as well, just to make the whole casserole a little less brown and to up the nutrition content. I chose Swiss Chard (which is high in Vitamin C) to help aid my recovery, but you could substitute spinach, kale or any other leafy green that strikes your fancy.
So now you can find me on the couch with my sleepy greyhound, chugging echinacea tea and comforting myself with this creamy, satisfying casserole. Hopefully it will help this cold to pass soon so I can enjoy our gorgeous weather.
Bain taitneamh as do bhéil!
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
SERVES: 8-10
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups short-grained brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice
4 cups veggie stock, divided
1 large onion, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
14 oz. mushrooms, woody stems removed, cleaned & chopped into bite-sized pieces
4-5 large Swiss Chard leaves, rinsed, stems removed & chopped into fine ribbons
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup portobello mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon dried sage
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, for cooking
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring 3 cups veggie stock to a boil, add brown rice, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Bring 1 cup veggie stock to a boil in a separate pot, add wild rice, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Check both pots of rice frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat when all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Meanwhile, heat up olive oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan. Add onion and garlic, saute until translucent. Remove from heat and transfer onions & garlic to a large bowl. In the same frying pan, brown mushrooms in a little olive oil. The mushrooms should end up slightly crispy but not blackened. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with onions & garlic. In the same frying pan, saute Swiss Chard with balsamic vinaigrette and a little olive oil until the leaves are bright green and tender. Transfer Swiss Chard to the bowl.
Add both pots of cooked rice, portobello soup, sour cream, sage, thyme and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese to the bowl of cooked vegetables. Stir to incorporate. The mixture should be quite "wet"-- if it needs a little loosening, just add a little more portabello soup.
In a small bowl, combine panko bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese. Spread rice mixture evenly over the bottom of a well-oiled casserole pan and top with bread crumbs & cheese.
Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until casserole "sets".
If you're sick like me, serve with a hot toddy and get some rest!
