Eating the right meals is crucial for living a long and healthy life, and today we’re placing our bet on Dan Buettner’s recipe, the New York Times-bestselling author. He prefers plenty of fiber in his food, as he believes that consuming it represents one of the best things someone can do for longevity.
Thanks to MindBodyGreen.com, we know what Buettner’s so-called “longevity cocktail” (aka the Sardinia Minestrone) means and how to make one for ourselves, and surely many people should give it a try. The guy explains about his recipe, as quoted by MindBodyGreen.com:
Nothing fancy here; it’s called minestrone soup,
It has three beans, six different kinds of vegetables, and provides a rainbow of different fiber species to feed all of those wonderful microbes in my gut.
If you want to learn how to prepare the delicious meal, you’re in luck!
Ingredients:
• ½ cup dried and peeled or canned fava beans
• ½ cup dried or canned cranberry beans
• ⅓ cup dried or canned chickpeas
• 7 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion: chopped
• 2 medium carrots: peeled and chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks: chopped
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 (28-ounce) of can crushed tomatoes
• 3 medium yellow potatoes: peeled and diced
• 1½ cups of chopped fennel
• ¼ cup loosely packed of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves: chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh basil leaves: chopped
• ⅔ cup of Sardinian fregola, Israeli couscous, or even acini di pepe pasta
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup of finely grated pecorino Romano
Preparation:
1. Drain the beans, rinse well, and if you’re using dried beans, soak them overnight beforehand.
2. Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot heated at medium-high level. Add carrots, onion, and celery. Cook and often stir for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes soft but not browned. Add garlic and keep cooking until fragrant for about 20 seconds.
3. Stir in the fennel, tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, beans, and basil.Add 6 to 8 cups of water so that everything will be submerged by 1 inch.
4. Raise the heat and bring to full boil. Reduce the heat to low level and simmer slowly until the beans become tender. If the mixture gets too thick, add more water. Boil it for about one and a half hours.
5. Stir in the pasta and season with pepper and salt. Add a maximum of 2 cups of water if necessary. Continue to boil uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the pasta becomes tender.
6. Divide the soup among bowls and top each of them with a tablespoon of grated cheese.
Feel free to check out the full recipe on Buettner’s website.
