Duck Soup with Wapato, Morels and Wild Rice

Step 1

Rehydrate the morels in the stock for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Agitate the morels by swishing them around to help remove any clinging dirt. Remove the morels, squeeze dry and reserve.

Step 3

Ideally your morels are small enough to be in bite sized pieces whole, if they’re larger, cut them into large bite-sized pieces. Reserve the stock and rehydrated morels separately.

Step 4

In a 3 quart or similar saucepot sweat the carrot, onion, celery and garlic on medium heat in the duck fat until translucent and completely cooked, about 10 minutes.

Step 5

Season the vegetables with a good pinch of salt. Add the flour, stir to coat the vegetables and cook for a few minutes more.

Step 6

Add the splash of sherry and cook for a minute to remove the alcohol.

Step 7

Add the morel-infused stock, making sure to leave any grit that’s settled on the bottom behind, along with the wapato, wild rice, rehydrated morels, ramp leaves, bay leaf and bee balm if using, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes on low heat or until the wapato is tender.

Step 8

Finally, stir in the cream, taste and adjust the seasoning for salt and a little fresh ground black pepper until it tastes good to you.

Step 9

Judge the consistency of the soup. If it looks a little loose, add a little more wild rice, if it looks too thick, add a bit of stock. The soup will thicken over time as it sits.

Step 10

Stir in the cooked duck or other meat, heat through and serve garnished with the ramp oil if using. It’ll be better the next day after the wild rice has had a chance to absorb liquid and transfer its flavor to the soup.