Rice or macaroni
Bits of bacon, ham and onions brazed in butter
Stock
All sorts of vegetables
A clove of garlic
Chopped parsley

"Minestrone is a favorite dish in Lombardy where vegetables are plentiful. Boil all sorts of vegetables in stock, and add bits of bacon, ham, onions braised in butter, chopped parsley, a clove of garlic with two cuts, and rice or macaroni. Put in those vegetables first which require most cooking, and do not make the broth too thin. Leave the garlic in for a quarter of an hour only."

This recipe was first published in "The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes," written by Mrs. W.G. Waters and published by William Heineman (1920). For the entire copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org.... P.S. Of all the recipes for minestrone published at the turn of the last century this is possibly the most vague. Still, it describes the soup quite well. I did not do this version of minestrone but I have done quite a few others, and they're all quite pleasant to eat. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list