Soup is the perfect food for "conscious cuisine," says Cary Neff. It's impossible to shovel it down mindlessly; we're forced to eat it slowly and taste it fully.
Servings: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 head garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 4 cans (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes , undrained
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Directions
    Preheat oven to 350°. Remove loose, papery skin from garlic, leaving heads intact. Place garlic on a sheet of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

    Loosely wrap foil around garlic, folding foil edges securely. Roast until garlic has softened, about 40 minutes, then transfer to plate. Open carefully and discard foil; let garlic cool.

    Separate garlic into cloves. Squeeze soft garlic from each clove into a small bowl; set aside.

    In a large saucepan over medium flame, heat remaining 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Add onion, celery and roasted garlic. Cover and cook until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, 1 cup water, bay leaf, basil, oregano, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors.

    Remove bay leaf. In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth.
    Nutritional Information
    180 calories, 1 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 903 mg sodium, 39 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams protein

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