Three Sisters Stew

Three Sisters Stew

The Native Americans living in the southwest have been eating a version of this hearty dish for centuries. It combines corn, beans, and squash creating a delicious source of protein and fiber. I serve this when friends that don’t eat meat come over.  Check your cupboard, refrigerator, and freezer before going out and buying ingredients.  Use any beans or squash in this recipe, it’s one of those dishes that you can substitute what ever you have on hand. 

1/2 TBL Extra virgin olive oil

1 White onion, sliced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 Jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

1/2 Cup Chicken broth

2 Medium yellow summer squash, sliced

2 Medium zucchini, cut into 3/4" pieces (about 2 cups)

1/2 Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces

1-1/2 Cup Green beans, cut into l" sections

1/2 Cup Frozen whole kernel corn

1/2 TSP Ground thyme

1 16-OZ Can Kidney beans, drained

Kosher salt & fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat, in a medium-sized saucepan, sauté the onion, garlic and chili in the oil until soft and a little brown -- about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in all other ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring often until squash is tender.

Serves 4

Crock Pot Carne Adovada

Crock Pot Carne Adovada

Meat marinated in Adobo sauce.  This is an often-overlooked dish on menus throughout the southwest.  It has a rich, delicious taste, followed with a burning fire.  It’s an old family favorite.  If you’re in a hurry you can cut the pork into chunks, brown it and toss it in with the sauce!

Adobo sauce:

24 hot New Mexico red chile pods

10 cups chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbl. Mexican oregano

2 tsp. Ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

4 to 5 Lb.  pork shoulder (bone in more flavor/ boneless easier to cut into chunks)

Remove stems, seeds and veins from the chiles.  Carefully toast the pods, in a dry iron frying pan until soft and pliable but not until burnt (if the chiles burn they will become bitter).  Simmer the chiles in the chicken broth along with the garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt for 20 minutes.  Run chiles and broth through the blender one-half cup at a time.  (Be careful hot liquids expand in a blender and can spill out the top and burn you).  Work sauce through a wire sieve with the back of a spoon into a mixing bowl, until only the chile solids are left in the sieve.  Discard chile solids.  Slow smoke the pork until fully cooked, 165f, cut into bite sized pieces (and the bone if the roast has one) and place in a crock-pot (or large french oven or heavy cast soup pot, with lid) with the sauce for several hours on low.  Serve with hot corn tortillas and ice-cold beer.

Serves 10-12