Cooking for Comfort

Life is frantically busy these days. A co-worker asked me today what was wrong and why I'm so quiet lately. I snapped back and told her to walk in my shoes the past few weeks and try being fun and sociable. I think she wanted something more to be wrong, and was taken aback. You can't be everything to everybody, and I'm not even going to try. By the time I come home from my varied schedule and commute, I force myself to cook something decent. Because I owe myself that.

The thought of what I'm going to create that night takes the edge off of a crazy day. It centers me. The dish need not be elaborate, as most times I'm doing a mental inventory of what's on hand. If I have to, I make a quick stop at the store for extra ingredients. Sometimes I just want a soup. I'm very picky about soup and am never really satisfied with the offerings around me when out to lunch. I like to be creative with soup and have good clean, yet strong flavors. I whipped up this soup in my head and knew it would be a quick easy pantry-type of meal for a certain someone and myself. One bite of it took me back to those cans of Chef Boyardee when I was a kid. Granted it tastes better, but the childish tiny Stelline pasta was a very Proustian moment for me. The childhood flavor was ramped up with adult tastes and textures of escarole. And then the clincher was toast rounds with a divine anchovy butter. Can you say heavenly satisfying? If you're not a fan of anchovy's, be pedestrian and make plain old garlic toast (certain someone's option). That will leave more anchovy toast for the connoisseurs.

Give yourself about 45 minutes to prepare. I cheated a bit with a chicken soup base. But of course homemade stock is better, if you have it laying around. It's worth the little extra effort after a hard days work.

Learn how to make this Tomato Stelline and Escarole Soup with Anchovy Toast recipe from Coco Cooks.

Also, try a bowl of our Blue Cheese Potato Soup with Olive Tapenade or a bite of Soup Muffins for a little dose of comfort food.

Read more from Coco Cooks.