Mushroom Onion Soup

The kids really liked this, which is surprising given it has (don't tell them) onions and mushrooms. Two out of five asked for seconds. Of course it might have more to do with the fact that daddy made liver last night. Try as he might, liver has a funky after taste that no amount of butter and onions can overcome. I could have made just about anything they probably would have loved it. Mostly, I was hoping for something to help ease the upper respiratory stuff that's creeping into my house.

Anyhow, before I forget what I did here:

Ingredients:
32 oz. (1qt) Kirkland Organic Chicken stock
4 cups water
1 cup basmati rice
4-6 baby portabella mushrooms
1 medium onion (peeled and diced)
1 shallot (peeled and diced)
3 green onion (diced)
1cup spinach (chopped, fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Optional 1/4 cup parmesan (finely grated)

1. Heat your large cast iron pot on the stove.
2. Melt butter in the post while you chop your onions.
3. Sauté onions, green onion, and shallot in to butter until they have caramelized (formed a browning over 1/3 of the onion surface) and left a lovely browning caramelized coating on the bottom of your pot. Chop your mushrooms while your onions are cooking.
4. Add mushrooms and spinach to the pot and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add chicken stock, then rice, ginger, salt and pepper, cover the pot, and simmer on medium heat until the rice is cooked (about 20 minutes).
6. Stop here if you like this to be a rice pilaf dish, keep going if you're really aching for soup.
7. Add water and continue to heat.
8. Taste to see if you think it needs more spice (I added a bit more ginger).
9. Add Parmesan, stir, and serve.