Lamb and Wild Rice Soup
Instructions:
- In traditional Irish soups, the lamb is not browned before being added to the soup. Without a caramelized crust, the lamb becomes velvety and luxurious. If you can’t fi nd lamb shoulder, use lamb stew meat. Wild rice adds an earthy, grassy taste, a fi ne foil for the lamb and little more sophisticated than white rice. Makes 8 servings
- 10 cups (21â„2 quarts) beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
- 2 pounds lamb shoulder meat, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 11â„2 cups wild rice
- 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
- 1â„2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Place the broth and lamb in a large saucepan or soup pot, set over high heat, and bring to a full simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the lamb is nearly tender, skimming any fat or impurities from the top of the soup as necessary, about 1 hour.
- Add the wild rice, return to a simmer, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, covered, until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Variations: Substitute any of the following for the carrots: 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 â„2-inch-thick rounds; 3 â„4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch sections; 3 â„4 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes; or 3 â„4 pound turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes