Leaning Vegetarian

I’m home sick from work today, and want something hot and spicy that’ll help knock this crud out of my head and lungs. With impeccable timing, today’s newsletter from The Herb Companion included a recipe for Caldo de Ajo, or garlic soup.

I like this recipe a lot – it’s very much of the ‘add everything to taste’ school, which is how I usually cook unless I’m baking.

The recipe calls for some of my favorite things – garlic in large quantity, black beans, tomatoes with jalapenos. There should be 5 mushrooms in this picture as well, but I’ll plead fogginess from the cold.

Dice the onions and garlic, slice the mushrooms, and julienne the carrots. It’s a good dish when you’re sick, because those are the only things that require energy beyond opening a can. Not to dissuade you from using fresh diced tomatoes, peppers and soaked beans, but this morning, that’s just not happening.

Add a dollop of olive oil to cover the bottom of a medium saucepan, and saute the onions and mushrooms until they’re a bit soft. Add the garlic and add cumin, oregano, and red pepper to taste. I added about a teaspoon of oregano, a healthy tablespoon of cumin, and a dried crushed habanero. If I weren’t adding beans with jalapenos and tomatoes with jalapenos, I’d've definitely added a healthy shake of crushed red pepper. This is very hot, so tone it back to your taste.

Add the broth, carrots, beans, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until the aroma is irresistable. I didn’t have any avocado on hand though that would be a nice complement to the heat (as would a little dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream). Add some tortilla chips or warm corn tortilla strips if you like.

I’m going back to bed now.