Three Sisters Casserole

This dish is comprised of 3 of the culinary cornerstones in much of Latin American cooking, beans, corn, and squash. I was given a version of this casserole as part of a postpartum meal circle and loved it. I tweaked and modified the original composition by adding a layer of tomato sauce and some additional spices. It's not a difficult dish to make but it is somewhat time consuming, perfect for a rainy weekend.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 large onion
2. 2 large (or 3 medium zucchini)
3. 1 cup tomato sauce (puree, or stewed finely diced are also fine)
4. 1 cup cornmeal
5. 2 cups black beans
6. 2 cups grated sharp cheddar (loosely packed)
7. olive oil
8. salt
9. pepper
10. 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
11. 1 tsp ground cumin
12. 1 tsp smoked paprika
13. 1 tsp chili powder
14. 1/2 tsp celery seeds

• In a medium saucepan, saute the onion (diced) in olive oil and a pinch of salt until translucent.
• Add beans to onion and simmer (I used dried beans and at this point that had been soaked overnight but still needed to be cook which extends this step) until tender.
• Add ground cumin, chili powder, celery seeds, and paprika to bean and onion mixture and continue to simmer.
• In the meantime cook cornmeal according to directions (plus the whole cumin seeds and a pinch of salt) and set aside.

• Preheat oven to 350 and lightly oil a baking dish (I used a 3 qt size).
• Slice the zucchini into disks and set aside.
• Taste beans, add salt and adjust seasonings to taste.

• To assemble casserole, fill bottom of dish with the cooked cornmeal, then add beans and a layer of zucchini (equivalent of 1). Lightly season zucchini with salt and pepper. Add the tomato sauce and then the remaining zucchini. Season top with salt and pepper and bake until zucchini is tender when pierced (35-45 minutes).

• While casserole is baking, grate cheese and set aside.
• 10 minutes before casserole is finished (around the 3o minute mark) top with grated cheese.
• Optional garnishes include a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, salsa, chopped green olives, guacamole...

~Serves 6-8~