Bit surprised by this recipe ... or am I an eejit?

[MintyyAeroEgg]

Am doing Nigella's minestrone.

No tomatoes, garlic or herbs AT ALL in the recipe. Am and a little but then I am not Italian so maybe all the other minestrones I've eaten over the years were dreadfully unauthentic. Or is it inauthentic?

Anyways, wdyt?

Make it and see

It is cooking away now. Lovely smells wafting the air. But no tomatoes. No tomatoes? Am surprised.

I believe authentic minestrone doesn't have tomatoes in it because the dish originates before the tomato came to Italy.

I prefer mine with tomatoes though.

What is in it if I may ask? I don't think I could eat anything without at least a little garlic and a few herbs.

Ooooooh how interesting TD. I guess I imagined the tomato originated in Italy!

Olive oil and butter, onions, celery, carrots, courgettes, potato, green beans, shredded dark cabbage, cannelini beans, salt, pepper, chicken stock, small pasta, parmesan.

Tomatoes are native to South America.

It might be nice with those ingredients in it, well apart from the parmesan which I hate.

Please report back to let us know how it tastes.

Well how does it taste?

I tell you what Thunder it was really lovely even though I say so myself, thanks for asking. I think the key things were lots of olive oil to start with and a really long slow cook. Everything apart from the pasta and the cabbage was cooked for over two hours. Will definitely do again .

Thankyou for reporting back. I think I may give this a go myself.