A Good Soup for the Sick

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound cranberry beans (like Borlotti)
• 8 cups of water
• 15 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and trimmed
• 2 big shallots (I might have used a white onion but didn't have one), sliced on the axis into thin crescents
• 2-3 dried smoked chiles (I used smoked serranos) but I suspect dried chipotles or even one or two chipotles from the can (in adobo sauce) would work nicely
• 2 teaspoons+ fine sea salt for seasoning
• a drizzle of flavorful extra-virgin olive oil
• a small handful of cilantro, chopped
• a couple (optional) handfuls of a salty hard cheese, Parmesan, grated (I think my mystery cheese was actually Three Sisters Serena)