Soup recipe eaten by the 'world's longest-lived families' is so simple to make
This traditional Italian vegetable soup from Sardinia's Blue Zone is eaten by some of the world's longest-lived families. The hearty longevity soup recipe is incredibly nutritious, delicious, and easy to make at home.
The family resided in a remote Sardinian village and had a combined age of over 800 years. This hearty, wholesome soup has since gained recognition as one of the crucial contributors to a long and healthy life.
Extraordinarily nutritious and delicious, it is also remarkably simple to prepare, with numerous recipe variations readily available online. Recipe notes from Blue Zones stated: "A bountiful dish that is eaten every day for lunch by some of the world's longest-lived families in Sardinia, Italy. It can be made with seasonal vegetables from the garden, but always includes beans and fregula, a toasted pebble-sized semolina pasta that is popular in Sardinia."
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Ingredients:
- ½ cup of dried peeled fava beans
- ½ cup of dried cranberry beans
- ⅓ cup of dried chickpeas
- Seven tablespoons of olive oil
- One onion, chopped
- Two carrots, chopped
- Two celery stalks, chopped
- Two teaspoons of minced garlic
- One can of tomatoes
- Three potatoes, diced
- 1 ½ cups of chopped fennel
- ¼ cup of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Chopped fresh basil
- ⅔ cup of fregula
- ½ tsp of salt
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- ¼ cup of grated pecorino Romano
Method:
Soak the fava beans, cranberry beans and chickpeas in a large bowl of water for at least eight hours before draining and rinsing.
Warm three tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, stirring often, and cook for five minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 20 minutes, then add the tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, parsley, basil, and chickpeas. Add enough water so that everything is submerged by one inch.
Raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly, uncovered, until the beans are tender.
Add more water if necessary and cook for around one to one and a half hours. Then, stir in the pasta with the salt and pepper, adding more if it seems dry.
Continue simmering, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into each serving bowl, ladle the soup evenly between them, and finish with one tablespoon of grated cheese.
Additional fresh vegetables can be incorporated, such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and even courgette.
