7. Comfort food, squared: Tomato, Beef & Pasta Soup

So amongst the few people I've told about this insane endeavor, the second most common reaction (after "Every day for a year? Are you crazy?") is: "Awww, soup! I love soup!"

This is a soup that captures those warm fuzzy feelings pretty well and transmogrifies them into bowl-friendly edible form. It's not fancy, it's not complex and it doesn't even simmer all day. Still: worthwhile.

The one technique that really sets this soup apart is the browning of the tomato paste after the other aromatics are sauteed. This is a pretty common classical French technique (as in sauce espagnole) and creates an absolutely divine smell while cooking. The paste also thickens the soup up to more of a stew-like consistency--this is not at all a brothy soup.

Tomato, Beef & Pasta Soup
Serves four

1/2 pound ground round or ground beef
1 smallish white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed (or de-ribbed?) and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces (half a small can--or go ahead and use more, if you're just going to throw away the excess) tomato paste
1 Tbsp mixed dried herbs: oregano, basil and sage, in any proportion
Salt and pepper to taste (start with about 1/2 tsp salt)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth or water
1 cup dried pasta, in the small shape of your choice--I used fusilli
Ricotta cheese, preferably whole-milk, for serving; mix it with a bit of chopped flat-leaf parsley if you like

In a soup pot, combine the ground round, onion and pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking beef up with a spoon, until beef is well browned. Add garlic; cook one minute more. Drain thoroughly.

Add tomato paste, mixed herbs, salt and pepper and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste turns a rusty color and smells delicious. This should take no more than two or three minutes.

Add tomatoes and broth or water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Immediately stir in pasta, reduce heat slightly and simmer, covered, until pasta is al dente--this should take about 15 minutes, depending on the pasta. Taste and correct seasoning if needed.

Ladle into bowls and plop a generous scoop of ricotta on top of each. Snuggle down and prepare to fend off a cold winter's night.