Nicholas's Mushroom, Wild Rice, and Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

4 Cups beef stock
1 Cup water
1/2 Cup wild rice (originally the recipe calls for barley)
1 Lg. thyme sprig
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. mix of wild mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (shiitake, crimini, and portabella recommended)
1 Lg. shallot, chopped finely
1 Lg. egg
2 Tbs. dry (gluten free) bread crumbs
2 Tbs. Parmigiano-Reggiano or peperoncino cheese
2 Tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro
Optional: olive oil drizzles over top

Directions:


Combine the beef stock, water, rice, and thyme in a stock pan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the grains are tender.  In a skillet,  saute the onions and mushrooms until the onions have caramelized and the mushrooms are tender.

To make the meatballs, add the ground sirloin, egg, bread crumbs, and cheese. Knead the meat and roll it into about 16 1" meatballs. Next add the meatballs and mushrooms to the soup stock and simmer until the meat balls are cooked (about eight minutes).  Discard the thyme and garnish the soup with parsley, cilantro, and olive oil drizzles.