MoMa Noodle Soup

The café on the second floor of the Museum of Modern Art is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, mainly because of their cappuccino and this soup. Though not technically listed as a soup (it's described on the menu as a pasta with a touch of broth), during colder weather I think extra broth is an excellent way to be cozy and warm. It's really really tasty, and good for you, which was my excuse to eat half a pot of the soup before forcing myself to put the rest in the fridge, where it lasted another two hours before I ate the rest of it. As far as I know there's no official published recipe from MoMa, and thus the measurements are guesstimated. I think the trick with the soup is the pepper. It gives it that edge that makes putting down your spoon really difficult.

MoMa Cavatelli Noodle Soup

Recipe guessed at by Annie and her Mom

Yields about 8 large servings

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 1 1/2 cups cavatelli pasta
• 5 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shiitake or portabello mushrooms, sliced, stems removed
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, more to taste
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, or more to taste
• 1 cup arugula

In a large pot, add the red pepper flakes and fresh ground pepper to the chicken broth.

Bring the broth to a boil. Add cavatelli and cook according to directions (about 12 minutes).

In a separate pot, cook celery until softened, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Refill celery pot with water and bring to a boil. Add chicken and boil until fully cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add chicken to cavatelli and broth. Add celery and mushrooms. Leave at low heat for a minute or so, stirring. Serve into bowls. Add a substantial amount of arugula as a garnish, and maybe a bit of shaved parmesan.

Eat.

This is how I felt in the kitchen while I was guessing at everything: