Ikarian ‘longevity’ stew

My Tera Farm produce box has been turning into a great source of inspiration for trying new recipes. This time it was the fennel that piqued my interest.  When I stumbled upon a recipe from Ikaria, Greece I was delighted! Ikaria is one of the Blue Zones of the world known for people living long and healthy lives.

The Ikarian stew had so much going for it. It was a nutritional powerhouse. A one-pot meal and all the vegetables needed for the recipe were ones I could buy from the Tera Farm store.  This recipe quickly became a must try and I’m so glad I did because it tastes delicious!

I rinsed and soaked my beans overnight before cooking them (the recipe has a quick soak method to achieve a similar result but I find my way to be easier). Soaking beans before cooking them helps reduce the phytic acid in the beans. Phytic acid inhibits the absorption of nutrients in the body.  So not only did soaking the beans improve the nutritional availability of all the ingredients but it also made the beans easier to digest and help them cook faster.

Here is the recipe I used –

https://www.31daily.com/longevity-ikarian-stew/

I ended up cooking my stew in an Instant Pot. It took much less time to cook the stew and has become my favorite kitchen gadget to cook with.

If you end up using an Instant Pot, follow the recipe as described till the cooking time in the pot. You will use the sauté mode to sauté all the ingredients and then cook on Manual at high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure has released add you dill and kale and follow the rest of the recipe. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I have already made it a couple of times :). 

- Neemun