This is one of those soups that contain so few ingredients that it’s really best to use good stock as opposed to canned broth. (On the other hand, the broth should not be too strong, or it will overwhelm the delicate, fresh pasta.) If you already have fresh pasta dough prepared for another dish, you can substitute it for the passatelli, but this stuff is worth making for its own sake—and easy.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 quart beef, chicken, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 160 or 162)

　　1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs, preferably homemade (page 580)

　　3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste

　　1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

　　1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

　　2 eggs

　　

Step 1

Bring the stock to a steady simmer in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, nutmeg, and parsley on a work surface and make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and knead the mixture until it forms a soft, granular dough.

　　

Step 2

Place the dough into a ricer or food mill with large holes. (If you do not have a ricer or food mill, place the dough in a colander and press the dough through with a wooden spoon.) Press the dough into the simmering stock and cook until tender but firm, just about 2 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Serve immediately, passing more Parmesan at the table.

　　

Pasta Grattata

Step 4

Known as tarhana in the Middle East: Instead of making passatelli, use about 1/4 pound of fresh egg pasta (page 541), formed into a ball. Using the big holes on a box grater, grate the pasta directly into the simmering broth (or onto wax paper, where you can store it for a few hours; just make sure the shreds remain separate). Cook in the stock until the pasta is tender but firm, 3 or 4 minutes. Season the stock with the nutmeg and serve, passing Parmesan at the table.

　　

Matzo Ball Soup (Eastern Europe)

Step 5

To make matzo balls, which are not all that different in spirit, beat 3 eggs with 1/2 cup stock. Add 1/4 cup minced onion, 1/4 cup rendered chicken fat or oil, salt and black pepper to taste, and enough matzo meal to make a moist, barely stiff dough—about a cup. Shape into balls and cover; refrigerate, preferably overnight, but for at least an hour. Cook the matzo balls in abundant boiling salted water until expanded and set, about 30 minutes, then add them to the soup.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.