Hobbit Soup

I have been a pretty delinquent blogger lately. I haven't really been in a writing mood lately plus it seems as if life is getting busier or something, my days just keep slipping away from me. I will post my latest food experiences though, posting a recipe takes no creative energy. It's my "blog cop-out".

Anyway, last week I was looking for a bread recipe to mimic Outback Steakhouse's "Bushman Bread". I found two very different versions and both of them got rave reviews. I decided I needed to make both in order to figure out the best one. Then I thought, "What goes good with homemade bread? Homemade soup!" I have a really yummy wild rice and mushroom soup recipe. Now, I know what you are thinking, "Mushrooms and wild rice? Kind of boring, nothing special." Don't be fooled. This soup is delicious! It is very rich and flavorful.

So, making two loaves of bread and a pot of soup seems a bit ridiculous for one person so I decided to feed my community group on Tuesday. When it came to the bread, there was a clear winner and a clear loser. The loser loaf got tossed because it was THAT unimpressive. The winner is a slightly sweet bread that goes great with honey/cinnamon butter. It paired perfectly with the soup which Ellie named, "Hobbit Soup". The mushrooms and wild rice give it an earthy feel and it kind of does seem like something Frodo would eat in the shire. This meal is perfect to have on a chilly fall day (or a toasty day in May when you just WISH is was a chilly fall day!) Here are the recipes:

Hobbit Soup


1 cup wild rice
1 Tbs. salt
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 Tbs. butter at room temperature
4 oz. pancetta or porsciutto, finely chopped
8 oz. button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 leek, halved, rinsed, and white and light green parts thinly sliced
2 Tbs. flour
½ cup dry white wine
3 14 oz. cans chicken broth
3 Tbs. minced Italian flat-leaf parsley mixed with 4 Tbs.butter
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream


Put wild rice, salt, and 8 cups cold water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put porcini in a small bowl and pour in 1½ cups boiling water. Let sit until soft, about 15 minutes.
In a large pot, cook 1 Tbs. butter and pancetta/porsciutto over medium-high heat until the meat renders some of its fat and turns a lighter pink. Add button mushrooms and leek, Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms give off their liquid, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, lift porcini from liquid with a slotted spoon (reserving liquid), chop finely, and add to pot.
Sprinkle vegetables and pancetta/porsciutto with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour starts to stick to the bottom of the pot (scrape it up as much as possible while stirring). Add wine, reserved liquid from soaking porcini (pouring slowly so as to leave any grit behind), and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook 15 minutes.
Add reserved wild rice to vegetable mixture and cook 10 minutes. Stir in cream and parsley/butter mixture and cook until hot, about 1 minute. Serve!

Bushman Bread (the winning recipe)


2 pkg. (4½ tsp.) dry yeast
½ cup warm water
1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup warm water
½ cup dark molasses
1 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 cups rye flour
3 cups flour


Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Soften yeast in ½ cup warm water. Stir in the sugar and let stand 6 minutes or until it’s bubbly. In large mixing bowl combine the yeast/water combo above along with 1 cup warm water with molasses, salt, oil and rye flour. Mix ingredients until it makes a nice smooth batter.
Work in the flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. It should be very pliable and elastic. Knead the dough for a few minutes and then let it rise in a greased bowl until it’s doubled. Punch the dough down and shape into 2 large round loaves. Place the loaves a few inches apart on a cookie sheet. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle rolled oats over the top.
Let bread rise in a warm place until doubled.
Bake at 350°F for about 25-30 minutes or until the crust makes hollow sound when tapped. Serve hot with butter. (even better with honey/cinnamon butter!)