Three Sisters Posole

Posole is a traditional stew made of meat, beans, chilis and served with a variety of garnishes, such as lettuce, radishes, cilantro, lime, oregano, squash, or corn. It is a hearty meal that is very versatile. It can be served as a stew, as a topping for nachos and as a filler for tacos or enchiladas.

I had recently purchased a bag of blue posole from Native Seeds/SEARCH. Their blue posole is raised on a small farm in New Mexico and treated with lime to remove the hulls. The folks at Native Seeds want to make sure that you can enjoy the foods they sell, so they send along a collection of recipes for simply and hearty fare.

My Three Sisters Posole uses Colorado River beans, blue corn posole and roasted butternut squash. The three sisters refers to the main foods of some Native American people in North America. The sisters were beans (typically tepary), maize and squash. These plants were planted in companion mounds, with the corn being planted first. When the corn was 6 inches high, they would alternate squash and beans around the base of the corn. The beans would climb the corn and give nitrogen to the soil. The squash would provide ground cover, inhibiting the growth of weeds and providing mulch to the soil. Additionally, the prickly squash would provide a deterrent to any pests.

This recipe made for a warm and hearty vegan dinner. My children were surprised at how much they enjoyed the meal, although they weren't crazy about using cilantro as a topping. My husband and I thought it was a perfect addition to our collection of vegan meals as it could be served as a stew or filling for a taco or the topping for nachos.

Recipe

1 cup blue or white dried posole (dried whole hominy)
1 cup Colorado River beans or Anasazi beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp grains of paradise or black pepper
Sea Salt to taste
1 roasted butternut squash, quartered
Optional: 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Rinse the beans and posole and then place in cold to soak. You can either soak them for several hours or overnight then drain when ready to use.

2. Place the posole, beans, onions and garlic into a crock pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender.

3. Add the oregano, salt, grains of paradise or pepper and cilantro and stir together. Serve warm over the baked butternut squash and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serves 4.