Better dead than red.

Valentine's Day is stupid. If I may be slightly reductionist, it makes coupled people want to buy useless things for each other (slash expect to be bought useless things by their partners), and it makes non-coupled people feel weird about not being coupled. There will be no heart-shaped or red or pink or otherwise adorable food on this blog, thank you very much.

Instead, I bring you vegetarian French onion soup (that I ate alone because being alone is okay*)! It involves real Gruyère and croutons fashioned out of rejuvenated slices of yesterday's whole wheat bread.

French onion soup is usually made with veal stock or beef stock, which gives it that silky mouthfeel and impossibly rich flavor that makes food lovers weep happy tears and cows quake in their little cow boots. This recipe, however, reconciles the two, for it calls for my favorite culinary obsession in lieu of cow product: porcini stock. Along with a cup of red wine (which could be substituted for the more traditional sherry). And two pounds of onions. Be still my heart.


Speaking of hearts... We first-years have left cardiology for pulmonology (at long last!). Last week's cardiology test was the twisted bastard child of Beelzebub and Willem Einthoven; I'm letting this new material be a breath of fresh air blowing in off the waters of the Lethe as far as that joyous exam experience goes. And yes, pun intended.

*I know, I'm not single, but I'm not in close proximity to the person who makes me not single, so I'm flying solo for the 14th.