Longevity Soup

Loaded with vegetables and legumes.

There has been a lot of talk lately about blue zones around the world; where people live easily to be 100 plus years old. The different zones around the world are very different from one another, but they have a few things in common: "Beans, friends, purpose and movement". In Sardinia, the blue zone with the most centenarians, the people have an active lifestyle; many are shepherds or farmers clocking in thousands of steps per day.  No Fit-bit required for them to know they are actively walking six to ten miles per day.  They consume lots of vegetables, tomatoes, olive oil, red wine and seafood. Your basic Mediterranean diet.  In Sardinia, they make a vegetable soup which we Americans know as minestrone. It is full of local and seasonal vegetables, legumes, and sometimes a little pork fat goes into it when the weather gets chilly.  My father-in-law, pictured at the bottom of this post, playing the piano (really well) at 105 years old, eats a very healthy and moderate diet, including a soup or stew very similar to this one at least two to three times a week. He also lives in Northern Spain, in an area where hormones, antibiotics and steroid fueled food and crops have eluded the local farmers. Something to think about? 

Shortly after reading about the Blue Zones, I learned my daughter was moving to New York. Before she left I thought it would be a good time to cook this recipe for long life together, so she can make some longevity soup while living in the big city. If nothing else, it's delicious and even if longevity isn't in all of our futures, I'm sure we can count on a little stamina from the rich healthy stew.