Ingredients

• 1 28-oz. can tomato puree
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Chopped onions, 1 or 2
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, grated
• 1 potato, grated
• 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 crushed bay leaf
• a pinch of marjoram, thyme, or savory
• 2 cans (10.5 oz each) of beef consomme
• 21 oz of water (that is, two cans of water)
• 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 pound of lean ground beef

Method

Mix it all together except the beef. Start on a low boil. Pick the raw beef into pieces a bit smaller than a marble and toss in the simmering liquid. Simmer till done. That's right: no need to brown the beef in advance.

Notes: there are ten thousand variations. I often throw in 1/4 tsp of cayenne of other hot pepper. If I don't have marjoram, thyme or savory handy, sometimes I'll sprinkle in a bit of generic Italian herbs.

My cousin asked:

- I couldn't find beef consume. Can I sub beef broth?

- How long is "until done?"

My answer:

Beef consomme is just double strength beef broth, so instead of two cans of consomme plus two cans of water, just use four cans of beef broth. "Until done" is when the meat is cooked through and the veggies have a texture you like; I'm never precise about that for this soup. And because the carrots and potatoes are grated, they cook up quickly.


The only tricky ingredient here is tomato puree (not paste). Makes a very smooth texture. If that doesn't work, a similar sized can of diced tomatoes that has been run through the blender should work fine.