American Club's Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute over high heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add flour to make a light roux; let cook 5 minutes. Push roux and vegetables to one side of the pan and add 1 cup of the Marsala. Over medium heat let Marsala reduce to about one-fourth of original volume. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add half of the stock and the thyme. Season with salt. Add cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain and discard vegetables. Add mushrooms, rice and remaining Marsala wine. Return to a slow simmer. Add remaining stock as needed to adjust consistency. Soup should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Top each serving with a portion of crisp leeks.

Crisp leeks:

Clean leek, removing green top and root portion of bottom with a knife. Cut leek into 2- to 3-inch sections. Cut each section in half lengthwise. With flat part of leek facing down, cut leek lengthwise into thin julienne strips. Wash in cold water and shake off excess moisture.

Heat vegetable oil in saucepan to 350 degrees F. Combine flour and seasonings until well mixed.

Dredge leeks in flour mixture and shake off excess flour. Fry leeks in hot oil 2 to 4 minutes until crisp.

Recipe Source: Rhys H. Lewis, executive chef, The American Club