A miso-tahini spiked broth + a budding New Year tradition
In reflecting on 2025, I’m noticing that the simplest, most straightforward and effortless moments were the ones that I’m cherishing most.
This year was a challenging one for me. It required me to show up with a radical amount of self trust. And while I never really doubted that process, there were definitely moments where I felt like I was shrinking, being swallowed up, terrified and unsure. And little things like eating raspberries on the kitchen floor, picked that morning in the farm down the street, held me in place.
As the calendar clicks over, I feel myself relying on these simple moments and helping them multiply. And so, for lunch on this last day of the year, Toshikoshi Soba it was.
All across Japan, noodles are eaten on the last day of the year to symbolize a long life. Toshikoshi (literally year-crossing noodles) are simple and light, to help break up the heaviness of the year past. They represent soft resilience over brute force – swirly, soft noodles standing tall in the broth. There are myriad recipes for them, each with deep symbology and tradition…but this way is mine. The miso-tahini broth is the star or the show here, and it’s really all you need to make this meal special. Radishes – especially charred ones – are a bright and welcome addition, as are the scallions. The jammy eggs are never something we turn down. And all of it comes from the pantry, or the fridge, things we have on hand that I’d like to think symbolize a long, easy, resilient life as they are.
We enjoyed big bowls of slurpy noodles on the patio today, in the sun – a rarity in a Colorado winter. Leo giggling as we slurped, we smiling as he did. I hope that this dish inspires many smiles and simple moments for you and yours as the calendar turns too. These are the moments that make it all golden.
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