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Artichoke, Leek, & Bean Gratin

A variation on a Deborah Madison recipe in “The Savory Way.” While her recipe calls for cannellini beans, I prefer a darker bean. My go-to is Borlotti (which I grow each year, in part, for this casserole) but pintos or soldier beans are a good substitute.

  • 1 cup dried beans, washed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 large leeks
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts, quartered
  • 1 cup water
  • 8 oz good goat cheese (Humboldt Fog is best, others will do in a pinch.)
  • 2 cups bread crumbs
  • olive oil

Place the beans and bay leaf in a heavy pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender. 2-3 hours. Drain, reserving the bean liquor.

While the beans are cooking, prep the veg: quarter the leeks lengthwise and slice into 1/2″ pieces. Wash well and drain. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute for 3 minutes or so. Add the garlic, rosemary, and artichoke hearts and saute for another 4 minutes. Add the water, cover, reduce the the heat to medium low and simmer until the leeks and artichokes are tender. Season with salt and pepper, add the beans.

Preheat the oven to 400. Put the bean mixture in a roomy casserole. Add enough of the reserved bean liquor to cover the mixture. crumble the cheese and spread it evenly on top of the bean mixture. Moisten the bread crumbs with olive oil, then spread on top of the casserole. Bake until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4 as a main course.

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Slow Cooker Posole

While I enjoy a good bowl of chili, I love posole more. Even though this stew cooks in a slow cooker, there is a lot of stovetop prep, too, this is a three pan meal, and expect to spend about an hour on prep.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried hominy (preferred) or 2 14 oz. cans of hominy
    2 lbs pork shoulder
  • 5 dried New Mexico red chiles (or a mix of poblano and guajillo chiles)
  • 2 onions
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 paste tomatoes
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp epazote

Preparation

The Hominy

If using dried, the night before, wash the hominy well, then cover in cold water and soak overnight. The following day, drain the hominy,  and place in a slow cooker.  Cover with 3 quarts of boiling water, add the cumin, oregano, epazote, salt to taste, and cook on high until tender: 6 hours.

The Pork

In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp oil until shimmering, add the pork and brown on all sides. Chop one onion, add to the pork, and cook until tender. Cover the pork with water, salt to taste, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the pork is tender, 90 minutes or so. Remove the pork from the liquid and shred with two forks. Add the pork and cooking liquid to the hominy.

The Chili Sauce

Heat a dry cast-iron skillet until hot. Split and seed the peppers, then toast in the skillet, pressing down with a spatula and flipping each pepper once. They toast quickly, 10 seconds a side is usually sufficient.  Toast the garlic in the skillet as well until the skins are slightly blackened and the garlic is fragrant. Peel the cloves and leave them whole. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with boiling water and soak until soft, 10-15 minutes. Slice the onion in half and place directly over a gas flame to char, flipping once, 2-3 minutes a side. Chop. Put the peppers, garlic, onion, and tomatoes in a blender or food processor, add enough of the pepper soaking liquid so you can puree all of the ingredients. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering, pour in the chili sauce and cook stirring, until it darkens and thickens slightly, 10 minutes or so.

Putting it all together

Add the chili sauce to the hominy, stir well. Continue to cook until the hominy is tender.  Taste for salt. Serve with fresh cilantro and sour cream for garnishes accompanied by warm flour tortillas.