Soup and other comforts

Whatever you're in the thick of, soup might help.

I started this newsletter with little lists of recipes I love and cook over and over, recipes I’ve bookmarked to make soon, and recipes heartily recommended by friends. Getting to host The Dinner Plan podcast means I’ve been adding guest recommendations every week—it’s so fun to hear what Joe Yonan really cooks, what Betty Liu really cooks, what Margaret Eby really cooks…and they’ve added full recipes to the archives here, giving you a preview of their just-released cookbooks.

I have another episode for you Friday—along with a list of that guest’s most-cooked weeknight recipes—but I wanted to offer a few more ideas this week. (In the meantime, make sure you’re following along wherever you do your podcast listening.)

Maybe you find yourself with more on your plate than you bargained for. Maybe there’s something hard going on, and the only way out is through.

Let this be your permission to take a break.

But if you yearn to cook, to make something warming and soothing, and you can find a pocket of time and the groceries, maybe these recipes will help.

I forget if I’ve mentioned this one before—these past few weeks have been quite a blur—but Kay Chun’s Easy Baked Chimichangas (NYT Cooking) have felt life-saving in the midst of deep exhaustion. Given some dietary restrictions, I cut the cheese down a bit and tossed the shredded rotisserie chicken in a mix of (lower-fat) sour cream and yogurt with chipotles in adobo and a little cumin before adding in, and that was definitely a move I’ll be repeating, since it added wonderful smoky flavor and creaminess.

When I finally got home after too long away, the first thing I wanted was a big bowl of soup. Luckily for my low-energy state, this Brooklyn spot will sell you broth and noodles and, most importantly, the flavor-packed kaeshi you need to make your soup actually taste like something. I added pillows of silken tofu and a bedraggled handful of greens. It was fortifying.

You probably have been thinking about soup, too. As I was reminded by the podcast

A Thing or Two

this week,

Anne Helen Petersen

’s annual soup chat among paid subscribers is an event.

Ella Risbridger

is making “on average two soups a day” to test out reader favorites. You can see more soup recommendations here.

My list below goes beyond soup, but I’d file all of these dishes under comfort. Soup is a state of mind.

Sho Spaeth’s Chicken Paitan Broth and Miso Tori Paitan Ramen (Serious Eats)
Marcella Hazan’s White Bean Soup With Garlic and Parsley (Food52)
Judy Leung’s 20-Minute Congee (Woks of Life)
Chicken With Steph’s Spice (Ottolenghi, reprinted from the new book, Comfort)
Judith Barrett’s Soup of Lentils and Mushrooms (Rancho Gordo)
babytamago’s White Chicken Chili (The Sunday Stack)
Joshua McFadden’s Creamy Mushroom, Potato, and Wild Rice Soup (excerpted from Grains for Every Season by Nigella.com)
Ellie Krieger’s Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Ancho and Orange (Food + Wine)
Julia Turshen’s Chicken and Kimchi Rice (from What Goes With What, reprinted on Farideh Is the Best)
Joanne Molinaro’s Kimchi Soondoboo Chigae (The Korean Vegan)
Anna Jones’s Ribollita with Winter Greens (The Guardian)
Charles Phan’s Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken (Food + Wine)
Ann Ittoop’s Green Mango Shrimp Curry (Diaspora Co.)

Tell me: What’s in your soup pot?