Simple too, but from scratch

Dear SOS: You once published the steak soup from the Pam Pam Restaurant in San Francisco, which closed years ago. Could you publish it again?

Kyle Anne Falco

Newtown, Conn.

Dear Kyle: Maybe you’re not into leftovers. So here’s a different kind of soup, one that is very robust. Serve it to a crowd with some good crusty bread, and you’ll have a meal. The last time this recipe ran was in 1993.

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Pam’s easy steak soup

Total time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Servings: 12-16

1 pound round steak, diced

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped

3 quarts beef stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt, pepper

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1. Brown the meat with the butter in a stockpot over high heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the flour until smooth. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook 10 minutes. Add the undrained tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Simmer 1-1 1/2 hours (the soup will become thicker the longer it cooks). Skim the fat. Add the half-and-half the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Each of 16 servings: 247 calories; 722 mg. sodium; 55 mg. cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 1.25 grams fiber.