112-Year Soup

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 large potatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Lite salt and fresh ground pepper
2 quarts water
2 cups canned beans (white, kidney, garbanzo, boriotti,pinto,etc.) rinsed and drained
4 cups kale, chopped
2 cups pasta, such as elbow, penne, farfalle (my favorite)
1/2 cup of favorite cheese (2% fat or less), grated
Dark crusty bread

Directions:
Drizzle olive oil in a large pot.
Add vegetables and a pinch of Lite salt and pepper.
Saute for 10 minutes.
Add water, kale and beans. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, simmer for 1 hour.
5 to 10 minutes before serving, return to a boil. Add pasta.
Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle grated cheese onto each bowl. Eat with dark, crusty bread.
This is the personal recipe of a man named Antonio Tadde. He was the world's oldest man until his death in 2002 at age 112. He lived on the island of Sardinia, off the coast of Italy. The long-lived people of Sardinia eat a diet of yogurt, almonds, walnuts, fruit*, vegetables**, whole-grain bread (dark and crusty), cheese, beans, olive oil, grape juice, fish and range-fed beef.

* The fruits they eat include figs, pears, apples, oranges, grapes, raisins, pineapples, juice of fresh lemons, mangoes, honeydew melons, water melons, cantaloupes, and berries.
** The vegetables they eat include eggplant, greens, tomatoes, parsley, mushrooms, olives, beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and lots of garlic.

This makes a huge pot of soup; enough to invite dinner guests. We cut the recipe in half for the two of us and eat it for several days. Like any good soup, the flavor blends more each day.

Enjoy.

Linda