This soup is a new favorite around here. I first made it to bring in a thermos on a day out hiking and it was, undeniably, the perfect thing for the occasion, providing the warmth and comfort you’re lacking in a Wisconsin late October.  I’ve always been haevy into this style of creamy soups, but Burton never has so I was *very* surprised and *very* pleased when he told me how much he loved it. Some say I still am to this day~~

The tofu is amazing here, after being roasted in the oven it absorbs all the flavors of the broth and offers a nice textural contrast between the rest of the cooked down, uber smooth ingredients.

I’ve been telling everyone who will listen how happy using dried mushrooms has made me but I’ll tell y’all again. It’s been completely liberating. The mushroom area of most grocery stores has an incredibly limited selection, and for the nicer stores that carry a larger variety the price is what’s limiting. I don’t ever want to see another fucking button mushroom again, which are often sitting there somehow both dried out and slimy at the same time. With dried mushrooms, your selection is much greater, practically limitless if you wanted to order online, they never go bad and they’re incredibly affordable. The above bag of shiitakes (which cost me $15) once rehydrated is the equivalent to over 5 pounds of fresh shiitakes ($16/pound, or $80 for this bag). Now I’m able to have mushrooms on hand, all the time, and have varieties that were usually too expensive for me to eat regularly. Shiitakes, I think, are the best mushroom for where culinary and medicinal meet right in the middle and they’re so incredibly versatile. Making an umami powder from them to sprinkle liberally onto everything? Priceless.

Instant Pot Mushroom Wild Rice Soup with Tofu

makes about 4 meal-sized servings

ingredients

5 carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into small, uniform chunks

5 celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise and cut into small, uniform chunks

half of an onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, diced

1 cup uncooked wild rice

8 oz fresh mushrooms of choice (or ~1.5 oz dried), diced

4 cups vegan chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp old bay

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 tsp fresh sage (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 block firm tofu, pressed

5 tbsp vegan butter (I use this recipe)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1.5 cups soy milk, unsweetened

Preheat oven to 425

Add the aromatics, spices, mushrooms and salt to the instant pot and saute until lightly browned and fragrant, then pour in the chicken broth and wild rice. Pressure cook for 40 minutes.

Cut the pressed tofu into small squares, put onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and roast until dehydrated and slightly crisped (about 25-35 minutes)

In a pot over medium heat, make a roux of the flour and butter, then slowly pour in the soy milk while whisking thoroughly to make sure it doesn’t clump. Let simmer for a few minutes until thickened, then pour into the soup along with the roasted tofu. Stir well to combine. When reheating, add a splash of water as it thickens up considerably.