Research any of the centenarian and supercentenarians (those living more than 100 years) and one commonality is they all eat some form of minestrone.
So I have evolved my own version over the years, which – the proof being in the pudding – looks like it’s keeping me in great shape at age 80 and beyond without the need for any medication.
Come to think of it: as virtually all the ‘longevity gurus’ are just youngsters of between 34 and 67 years old, you could say – unlike them – I’m not just talking about longevity but I’m actually practising what I preach.
I use my Instant Pot for this meal (among many others), because it is so quick and easy as well as being one of the best ways to cook vegetables to retain maximum nutrition. You might be surprised to learn that the shorter the cooking time the more nutrients are retained regardless of the high temperature that this very sophisticated pressure cooker uses.
Ingredients:
Serves two
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 large red onion chopped
1/4 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup broad beans
1/4 cup red lentils
1/2 fennel bulb including fronds
1 medium sweet potato cut into centimetre slices
1/2 cup kale
3 fresh tomatoes chopped or 1/2 can of plum tomatoes. Select plumb tomatoes rather than chopped tomatoes as whole plum tomatoes tend to be of better quality.
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 large carrot chopped
2 tablespoons of died oregano
2 bay leaves torn into strips
Small bunch of mint
1 sprig of rosemary with leaves stripped off the stem
1/4 cup of flat-leaf parsley chopped
1/4 cup basil leaves
3 garlic cloves grated and set aside for later
Minestrone traditionally has some sort of small pasta pieces in it, but I prefer to leave that out. If you want to add pasta feel free. Ideally it should be wholewheat pasta.
Method:
I use the Instant Pot to cook this because it retains the most nutrients, despite the high temperatures involved.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot simply cook it in a skillet on the stove.
If using the Instant Pot:
Set the Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’ for seven minutes
Add the olive oil, turmeric, black pepper and the dried oregano and stir until the oil starts to shimmer.
Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes
Once the onion starts to brown and smell delicious, add all the other ingredients
If using fresh tomatoes, add 100 ml of tomato juice or water
Close the lid of the Instant Pot closing the steam release valve and setting the timer for 1 minute
When the timer beeps, release the pressure immediately
Tip in the grated garlic you prepared earlier and stir. You won’t taste the garlic, but it will have the maximum medicinal benefits much of which would have been lost of you had cooked it with the rest of the ingredients.
Serve and enjoy!
If using a skillet:
Add the olive oil, turmeric, black pepper and the dried oregano and stir until the oil starts to shimmer
Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes
Add the celery and carrots and sauté for three more minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients
If using fresh tomatoes, add 125 ml of tomato juice or water
Simmer, preferably with a lid on the skillet, until the lentils have become soft and have absorbed most of the liquid
Remove from the heat and add the grated garlic you prepared earlier and stir. You won’t taste the garlic, but it will have the maximum medicinal benefits much of which would have been lost of you had cooked it with the rest of the ingredients
Serve and enjoy!