Preparation / Directions:
Separate the garlic bulbs into cloves and peel. Divide garlic cloves into three piles. Mince onions with one third of the garlic cloves (I use a food processor). Heat oil or butter in large (6 quart or more) pot and saute onion and garlic until soft but not brown. Slice leeks thinly with another third of the garlic cloves (I use the food processor again, with a #2 slicing disk, but any slicing disk works fine, as does a knife), and add to the pot. Saute until soft. Remove the stem and seeds from the ancho peppers. Add the tomatoes, broths and water to the pot; then add the herbs and ancho peppers. (I always have cheesecloth around, so I usually chop up the fresh herbs and put them with the dried ancho pepper in a piece of cheesecloth that I tie up like a bag; this makes it easy to fish the herbs and ancho out at the end, which makes the soup prettier.) Bring to a boil, cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for two hours until the onion and leek have pretty well melted into the soup. If fishing the herbs and ancho pepper out of the soup isn't too messy, do it now. Slice the reserved garlic very very thinly, and add to the soup pot. Add water if it has gotten too thick. Simmer covered, for 30 minutes. If you are going to save the soup and serve it tomorrow, stop here, cool and refrigerate it. Otherwise, keep going. 10 minutes before serving, uncover the pot, taste the soup, season with salt and pepper and bring to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni, and cook for a couple minutes less than you usually would, because you aren't going to drain it. Or, cook the macaroni separately and add it just before you ladle the soup into bowls. Grate a little parmesan cheese over the top, if you l
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