Comfort from the Shelter Island kitchen: Soup to satisfy and restore

One day we’re eating our way through the holidays on an endless whirl of feasts, in complete disregard of calorie counts and happy abandon — like flakes swirling in a snowglobe.

The next, the celebrations are but sweet memories. We’ve crashed to the bottom of the globe and are surrounded by January’s slushy, gray haze everywhere we look: sea, land and sky.

Time for a comfort food fix. And that means — not cocoa, marshmallows and cookies with a side of pie — but a steamy, golden bowl of soup to stir the senses and snap your body’s immune system back to attention.

Here, I offer my chef friend’s recipe for Carrot and Ginger Soup.

Healthful, to be sure, but with a few surprise ingredients to awaken your taste buds and make the process of cooking almost as enjoyable as the eating.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

4 large carrots, cleaned

1 Tbsp. ginger

1 pt. water

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 shallots

1 package cherry tomatoes

1 pinch chili flakes

2 cloves garlic

Salt & pepper to taste

• Combine the first four ingredients in a pot and boil until the carrots are soft.

• Place in a blender and blend until smooth.

• Halve the tomatoes and sweat with the shallots in a low to mid-size pan. Once soft and toothsome, raise the heat and add garlic and chili flakes.

• Saute until aromatic — 30 seconds.

• Pour this mixture into the blender with the other ingredients, then use the combined mixture to de-glaze the pan and scrape up any bits. Return it all to the blender and re-blend.

If you feel it needs more acidity, try a dash of apple cider or champagne vinegar. Or a bit of oil infused with chili, basil or parsley can add an herbal note.

My chef friend says he might cook up a batch of tempura vegetables to chop up and sprinkle on top, but if you’ve got some croutons or corn chips at hand, they can add a bit of crunch too.