20 cloves garlic

2 cups diced onions

1 cup diced green pepper

3 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

34 slices dark bread

4 cups broth (beef is best)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Grated cheese (your favorite), optional

• Separate the garlic cloves and boil them in water in their skins for 30 second. Rinse in cold water, drain, and slip off the peels. Slice the cloves thinly. Dice the onions and the green pepper. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Cut the bread into small cubes.

• Using a soup pot, heat the olive oil at medium to medium high, then add the onions and green peppers. Sauté for 4 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes.

• Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, salt to taste, and add enough of the bread cubes to reach the consistency desired. Garnish with black pepper and grated cheese.

Serves 4

Fear not: Though this soup contains a lot of garlic, the taste is not strong.

Storing Potatoes and Other Root Vegetables

Tubers and roots contain lots of starch, which turns to sugar in the cold. Many people enjoy the resulting sweeter flavor, and keep these foods for long periods in unheated “root cellars,” or refrigerator drawers. Whatever your taste preference, store root vegetables in a dark place, away from heat sources. They should not be stored in plastic bags, as they are living things and need to breathe.