Want to live to be 100?

Me too. I'm starting with these beautiful beans

Everyone seems to be talking about the Blue Zones lately — places in the world where pockets of people are living into their nineties and even hundreds, almost disease-free. (If you’re curious, there’s a series on Netflix right now.)

I first heard about Okinawa, a Blue Zone island in Japan, some years ago. It looked amazing and very beautiful, but hopelessly remote. The Blue Zones in California and Costa Rica were fascinating, too, but for various reasons, not so relevant to my life here in Toronto.

The two Blue Zones in Europe captured my imagination in a different way. When I read about the Ikarians of Greece, roaming their rocky island collecting wild rosemary, sage and oregano for tea and seasoning, I could almost smell the sun-soaked herbs. Dishes from a long ago visit to Greece came right back to me: sweet tomatoes, crunchy peppers, salty cheese; the freshest fish I’d ever eaten and olives, olives everywhere.

And learning of a final Blue Zone in Sardinia sent me to the Air Canada website, so strongly did I feel the pull back to Italy. Back to the food of Italy: deep-green, peppery olive oil, nutty farro, seafood that tastes of the sea and yes, piles of pasta, dressed in simple, deep flavours.

So why not just adopt the Mediterranean diet at home? Yeah, about that. Eating for health is an idea I hold in high esteem, but my devotion to eating for pleasure gets in the way. I will come clean and tell you that I cook and eat plenty of meat. I’m also a lover of butter, high-fat yogurt and right now, a specific brand of popcorn, which I consume by the handful at my desk.

Still, it’s harvest season in Ontario, and the choices are dazzling. Just yesterday, I picked up the most adorable Sicilian eggplants (grown here), multi-coloured heirloom tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, peaches, pears, and a bunch of fresh rosemary.

Plus, these fresh Romano beans. I first ate them in Tuscany a decade ago and since then, I look for them every fall. It’s not just that they’re beautiful and tasty. They’re good for you. Blue Zone good.

So here’s the deal I’ve made with myself: One month, no meat, a little chicken, plenty of fish, leafy greens, and fresh Romanos until they’re out of season. Maybe next year, I’ll try two months. It might not be enough to keep me healthy to a hundred, but it’s something. And did I mention they’re delicious?

Roasted Fresh Romano Beans

2 pounds fresh Romano beans, shelled

4 cloves garlic; 2 whole, 2 minced

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 sprig rosemary

salt and pepper

Put beans in a saucepan with two whole cloves of unpeeled garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and sauté shallot without browning. Add minced garlic and cook for less than a minute more. When beans are tender, drain and add to skillet, tossing over low heat just to coat. Tip mixture into a shallow baking dish. Add remaining olive oil, torn rosemary leaves, boiled garlic, removed from its skin and squished a bit, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork and mash beans slightly so they will absorb the other flavours. Roast, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Serve alongside anything.