Mixed Bean Pie & Cornbread Crust

“It’s continuing traditions that are well-established for a reason…” “New World food is exciting, tasty, healthy, romantic, and possibly, easier on the earth”

– Steve Sando’s thoughts on using beans indigenous to The Americas (Rancho Gordo Beans) 

Beans are making a comeback! Heirloom varieties like the Midnight Black Bean from Rancho Gordo in San Francisco are elevating their quality and prestige. We love combining Mexican flavors, red chile and oregano, with beans from the same region.

Working hard to incorporate heirloom beans into our repertoire at zen, as an alternative to meat heavy dishes, we taught our first vegetarian bean and seafood slow cooking class to a group of women at Elawa Farm last week. We endeavour to demystify dried beans through our slow cooking recipes and classes.

Here are a few of the things we’ve learned along the way when comparing canned/boxed beans to dried beans:

                                    BEANS 101

                               CANNED                                                  DRIED
Ratio                2 x 15oz cans                                      8 oz / 1 ½ cups

Quality          choose low sodium, BPA free          Dried heirloom beans will be                               cans (Trader Joe’s, Edens                smaller batch, fresh (Rancho                               Organics)                                            Gordo)

Preparation  Rinse and drain before cooking      Rinse, drain and discard any                                                                                           discolored beans. Pre soak in a                                                                                       bowl with plenty of water                                                                                                 overnight * optional unless using                                                                                     kidney beans

Cook Time    Shorter cook time than dried          Longer cook time than                                                                                                     canned/boxed

Beans and slow cooking are the perfect combination for long, nutritious, gone all day recipes to come home to. The results are versatile from bowls of stewed spiced beans with cornbread to fillings for tortilla wraps, aromatic soups and toppings for meatless tacos.

Taking the best beans on the market from Rancho Gordo, the mixed bean pie with cornbread topping comes in way under our $20 budget for this months’ recipes. Using Diana Kennedy as inspiration for making a good red chile sauce base for tamales surrounds the beans with great flavor. The technique for making red chile sauce traditionally requires toasting and scalding of dried chilies before grinding instead we substituted that step for red chile powder, already toasted and ground. The cornbread topping absorbs some of the liquid and maintains a soft crumb.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time:  8-9 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

Red Chile Sauce

• 1 small onion ($0.50)
• 1 tbsp red chile powder (Mild to HOT whichever you prefer) ($0.25)
• 1 clove garlic ($0.15)
• 1 tsp mexican ground oregano ($0.20)
• 1 tsp cumin ($0.20)
• ⅛  cup water
• ½ tsp salt

Beans

• 4 oz or ¾ cup dried black beans pre soaked in cold water overnight (or 1 x 14oz can) ($1.75)
• 4 oz or ¾ cup pinto beans pre soaked (or 1 x 14oz can) ($1.75)
• 1 cup frozen corn ($1.00)
• 1 poblano pepper or green bell pepper ($1.00)
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes ($1.75)
• 2 ½ cups vegetable broth ($1.25)

Cornbread topping

• ½ cup cornmeal ($0.50)
• ½ cup all purpose flour ($0.50)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk ($0.25)
• 1 egg ($0.35)
• ⅛ cup grapeseed or light olive oil ($0.40)
• ¾ cup shredded mexican cheese ($1.00)

TOTAL: $12.80

Measure the beans into a bowl, discard any discolored beans or stones and cover with cold water. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse. NOTE: for black beans and pinto beans this overnight soaking is not necessary, but is preferred by some people. I rinse and drain the beans immediately before cooking, without overnight soaking.

In a small blender, add the onion, chile powder, garlic, oregano, cumin, water and salt. Blend to a thick paste to make your red chile sauce.

Add the black beans, pinto beans, corn, pepper, tomatoes and broth into your slow cooker. Spoon the red chile sauce over the mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. (For canned beans adjust to 3 hours on LOW or 6 hours on HIGH)

An hour before the end of cook time make the cornbread mixture and spoon over the beans in the slow cooker. Replace the lid and set to HIGH to cook for a further 1 hour.

Remove the slow cooker insert, sprinkle with the cheese and broil for 2 minutes until the topping bubbles and browns.

Zen Moment

“The chile, it seems to me, is one of the few foods that has its own goddess. In Mexican cuisine and lore, this “Respectable Lady of the Little Red Chile” is a deity that represents the chile’s everlasting significance in the ritual life of the culture. Losio, the Zapotec god who looks after newly sown crops, also takes an interest in the chile. And in Pahuatlán, Puebla, Otomi Indians believe in chile plant spirits that protect the seeds and the harvest.”

-Chiles by Diana Kennedy. Food and Wine Magazine