2 quarts water, or better, beef stock
1 pound of salt pork, cut small
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 clove crushed garlic if liked
1 small cabbage
2 carrots, diced
1/2 lb. haricot beans soaked overnight
1/2 lb. peas -- before shelling -- shelled
A few French beans
4 tablespoons rice
Grated Parmesan
Pepper and salt

"Place cut up pork in water or stock and bring to the boil before adding parsley, garlic and chopped vegetables, peas and beans. Allow to boil gently for 2 hours, then add rice and cook for a further quarter of an hour. Season to taste. Serve with a layer of Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the soup in the tureen."

This recipe was taken from "Italian Cooking" by Dorothy Daly. It was published by Spring Books in Great Britain. For the complete copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org.... P.S. I didn't try this recipe but I have done enough minestrone soups in my day to conclude from looking at this recipe, that it would probably work, especially if one were to use beef stock rather than plain old water as suggested. That said, I believe Dorothy Daly's "Minestrone No. 2 and No. 3" are probably more appetizing as they incorporate tomatoes and potatoes -- a combination that cannot fail to please. Also, I don't see why the soup has to cook for 2 1/2 hours -- the French beans would disintegrate. Most modern-day home cooks would place the vegetables at different intervals depending on how long they needed to be cooked. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list