Name: Three Sisters Stew
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sunflower oil; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 1 large green bell pepper, chopped; 3 medium zucchini, diced; 1 (28 ounce) can no-salt-added whole peeled or diced tomatoes; 2 (15 ounce) cans no-salt-added dark red kidney beans, rinsed; 2 (15 ounce) cans no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed; 1 ½ cups corn kernels; 4 cups water; 3 tablespoons dried New Mexico red chile powder (see Tip) or other mild chile powder; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon dried Sonoran or Mexican oregano; ¼ teaspoon dried thyme; ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper; Flat-leaf parsley and/or microgreens for garnish

This Three Sisters Stew recipe is easy to make, nutritious and delicious. The Three Sisters are corn, beans and squash, which have been planted together for centuries by Native peoples and have spiritual significance for some. In New Mexico, it is often said that a healthy environment means a healthy culture, which leads to healthy people, and the way these vegetables grow in the garden exemplifies this notion of interconnectedness. The beans climb the cornstalks, the squash leaves shade the soil, limiting weed growth, and the beans fix nitrogen into the soil as well as help stabilize the cornstalks. This stew is perfect for a cold winter day, and wonderful as an encore the next day if you have any leftovers. This recipe is part of our spotlight, There's a Movement to Revitalize Indigenous Cuisines and Knowledge—Here's Why That Matters.

Three Sisters Stew

sunflower oil

yellow onion, chopped

garlic

green bell pepper, chopped

zucchini,

tomatoes

corn kernels

water

New Mexico red chile powder (see Tip)

salt

oregano

thyme

⅛ teaspoon ground pepper

parsley

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and their juice (if using whole tomatoes, break them up as you add them); cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture returns to a simmer, about 4 minutes. 


Stir in kidney beans, pinto beans, corn and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in chile powder, salt, oregano, thyme and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 20 minutes.


Serve topped with parsley and/or microgreens, if desired.


three sisters stew

Total: 50 minutes

Author : Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D.

Ingredients

Instructions

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