A no-fuss shrimp pasta with garlic and tomatoes

And a chocolate mousse that only gets better with time.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 30, 2023 Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. A no-fuss shrimp pasta that's both festive and cozy By The New York Times Cooking It's Saturday morning, and 2024 is two sleeps away. There are two ways to approach this last weekend of the year: party hearty, or quiet cozy. Either plan is excellent, and today's newsletter is dedicated to meals that are perfectly suited for whichever type of New Year's weekend you'd like. First up is Lidey Heuck's shrimp pasta, essentially the shrimp version of vongole rosso. Loads of garlic and olive oil — and a healthy splash of white wine — make even the tightest cherry tomatoes feel lush, and the lemon zest and chile flakes added at the end keep things bright and perky. With a bitter greens salad and the rest of the bottle of wine, it's an excellent dinner for any night on the calendar. Featured Recipe Shrimp Pasta View Recipe → On the soupier side of things, Steven Pursley's recipe for Okinawan soba, which Khushbu Shah adapted, doesn't call for buckwheat noodles but instead the ramenlike wheat noodles popular in Okinawa. For Mr. Pursley, the chef and owner of Menya Rui in St. Louis, the dish is a New Year staple: a gentle dashi and pork-based broth swimming with springy noodles and slices of pleasantly squeaky fish cake. Now for some skillet meals that feel equal parts fancy and cozy. Florence Fabricant's five-star chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons is richly spiced, complex in flavor and quite beautiful and comes together in about an hour. Hetty Lui McKinnon — the vegetable genius behind "Tenderheart," one of our favorite cookbooks of 2023 — created a mushroom stroganoff that captures all of the herby, winy and deeply savory flavors of the beef version. And then there's Marry Me Chicken, which nestles chicken breasts or cutlets in a creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan for added umami oomph. (If all of those holiday movies are any indication, the end of the year is a big time for proposals.) Whatever your end-of-year vibes, you deserve something sweet. More specifically, you deserve Genevieve Ko's chocolate mousse, which is somehow both airy and dense, light and rich, silky and fudgy. Because the mousse develops an even deeper flavor over time you can make it up to five days ahead and serve it straight from the fridge, Genevieve notes. A dish that gets only better with age? That's an excellent way to greet a new year. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Okinawan Soba Recipe from Steven Pursley Adapted by Khushbu Shah 3 hours 35 minutes Makes 8 servings Michael Kraus for The New York Times Chicken Tagine With Olives and Preserved Lemons Recipe from Shallots New York Adapted by Florence Fabricant 1 hour, plus marinating Makes 4 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Mushroom Stroganoff By Hetty Lui McKinnon 25 minutes Makes 4 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Marry Me Chicken By Naz Deravian 1 hour Makes 4 servings Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Frances Boswell. Chocolate Mousse By Genevieve Ko 20 minutes, plus overnight chilling Makes 8 to 10 servings Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018