mediterranean hot pot

Mediterranean Hot Pot: Warms you up without weighing you down

After spending a week in the Caribbean soaking up sun, living in bikinis and flip-flops, and sipping on frozen cocktails, catapulting back to the chilly Northeast was a particularly rude awakening for me. No matter how many sweaters I pile on, I feel like I just can't get warm.

Hot Pot to the rescue. Hot pot came about over 1000 years ago when Mongolian soldiers cooked this mish-mash stew in their helmets over an open fire. My vegan version contains Mediterranean influences – basil, oregano, cremini mushrooms and a licorice-scented fennel bulb. It's filling, nutritious, and best of all – warming. It's one of those soups that tastes even better after it sits for a few days.

Protein courtesy of mushrooms and dried-fried tofu

Mediterranean Hot Pot

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 5 large garlic cloves minced
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced [I used Cremini]
• 1 bunch chard, trimmed and chopped
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 pound tofu, pressed for at least an hour and dry-fried
• 1 bunch of cellophane mung bean noodles [You can substitute vermicelli or soba noodles]

Serves 4

Heat oil over medium in a large saute pan. Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add fennel and mushrooms. Saute then when it gets dry, continue to cook by water-sauteing: add about 1-2T of broth of water and cook until veggies are soft, about 10 more minutes. Besides being lower in fat, this slow-cooking method will help concentrate the flavors.

Add chard and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add broth, herbs, and tofu. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer on low for about  25 minutes. Add noodles and cook until soft, according to package directions. Top with a bit of sriracha sauce if you like heat.