Warm Soup Or Pasta To Relieve Holiday Stress

The perfect antidote for holiday stress is a bowl of soup or pasta!

For such a time as this, pick up this beautifully photographed cookbook by Betty Rosbottom, a colleague, called “Soup Nights: Satisfying Soups and Sides for Delicious Meals All Year” (Rizzoli New York, 2016, $35). I agree with Betty that “soups are easy to prepare, comforting and homey and endlessly versatile and they can be made ahead.”

Make winter tomato and garlic soup and serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner tonight. When you’re in a rush, serve Vietnamese-style shrimp soup. They both are delicious.

Want a good holiday gift idea for a food and travel lover? Buy “My Culinary Journey: Food and Fêtes of Provence With Recipes” by Georgeanne Brennan (Yellow Pear Press, Publishers Group West, 2016, $27.50.) It is an evocatively entwined memoir and cookbook. The rosemary pasta with black olives and carrots is beautiful and it doesn’t break the bank!

Bon appétit!

Winter Tomato And Garlic SoupAdapted from “Soup Nights” 
by Betty Rosbottom(Serves 6)3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2, 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained

3 1/2 cups (or more if needed) good quality chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon dried basil

About 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste

Sea salt to taste

3/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Grated orange zest from half an orange or more to tasteTo prepare:In a heavy stockpot over medium heat, heat oil until hot.

Add onion and carrot and stir until they begin to soften, about three to four minutes.

Add garlic and sauté until aromatic.

Add tomatoes, stock, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and stir well to combine.

Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid ajar until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches in the food processor or immersion blender, puree the soup until is it somewhat chunky.

Stir in the half and half, Parmesan cheese, and orange zest and cook, stirring over medium heat until it is very hot, about five minutes. If the soup is too thick, thin it with stock.

Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, red pepper flakes or pepper.

Can be prepared two days ahead.

Cool, cover, and refrigerate.

Reheat, stirring often over medium-low heat until steaming hot.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve. Vietnamese-Style 
Shrimp Soup
With Rice Noodles(Serves 6)4 ounces brown rice noodles

6 cups chicken stock

5 stalks, thinly sliced lemongrass

1 tablespoons fish sauce

3 medium garlic cloves, peeled, left whole

4 round slices fresh peeled ginger (the size of a quarter) smashed

About 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 large red bell pepper, cored and seeded and cut into 1/4-inch strips

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

30 (1 pound) large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed

Fistful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 to 2 bunches scallions, trimmed leaving about 4 inches of green part, diagonally sliced

1 large lime, cut into 6 wedges

Optional: 1 small jalapeño pepper with seeds, sliced very thin for garnishTo prepare:Prepare rice noodles according to the directions on the side of the package.

Drain and set aside.

In a heavy stockpot with a lid over medium heat, add stock, lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.

Stir to blend, then cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to develop the flavors.

Strain the mixture, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.

Measure, there should be 6 cups liquid in total, add more stock if necessary to make this amount.

Return the stock to the pot over medium heat.

Add bell pepper strips and simmer five minutes.

Season shrimp with pepper, add to the stock, and cook for one minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, add spinach and half of the cilantro.

Let stand, stirring once or twice until the spinach and cilantro have wilted, about two minutes.

Divide the noodles and green onions among the warm bowl, ladle soup over them.

Garnish each serving with a lime wedge, scatter remaining cilantro and jalapeño on top and include chopsticks and spoons. Rosemary Pasta With 
Black Olives And Carrots(Serves 4)3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

Sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted

10 ounces dried penne pasta

About 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Option: Add cooked broccoli florets, petit pois, or green beans to the hot pasta and toss well.To prepare:In a large skillet over medium heat, coat the bottom with olive oil, add butter and heat until melted.

Add half of the garlic, onions, and carrots and sauté until the carrots are tender to the point of a fork, about eight to 10 minutes.

Add remainder of the garlic, salt, pepper, olives, and half of the rosemary.

Sauté until the olives are plumped and edges of carrots are golden brown, about four minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over high heat, add cold salted water and bring to a boil.

Add pasta, stir well and cook until al dente or according to directions on the side of the package.

Drain, reserve about one-third cup of pasta cooking water.

Transfer pasta to the skillet, drizzle with olive oil and some of the cooking water to create a coating sauce.

Toss well, season with remainder of rosemary, salt and pepper, tossing until mixed.

Taste, and adjust the seasonings.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve at once.