Yummy yum yum!

This is a recipe I found online that looks SO GOOD!  I think I'm gonna make it tonight, but I figured you guys might like to see it too.

~Gwyn

Borlotti Bean Mole with Roast Winter Squash

I made a few tweaks to the original recipe, primarily to communicate amounts in a way that is a bit more approachable to American cooks. If you don't have fresh beans on hand, cook up a pot of dried ones. If you can't find borlotti beans feel free to substitute pinto beans or another bean of that nature. Chiles can vary in heat, so if you are sensitive, start with less, you can always add more later on in the cooking process if you like. Dennis recommends serving this mole with tortillas, polenta, mashed potatoes, or potato cakes.

~1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) fresh borlotti beans

~1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) winter squash

olive oil

4 - 5 big leaves of kale (3 1/2 ounces)

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 - 4 red jalapeno chiles, halved, seeded, and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound of fresh plum tomatoes, chopped or 14-ounce can

2 teaspoons paprika

1 ounce of almonds, dark roasted and finely ground

2 ounces dark 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

salt

Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas mark 4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the borlotti beans and cook for about 10-15 minute until they are just cooked or even slightly undercooked. Drain and cool under cold running water, and set aside.

Cut the squash flesh into good-sized chunks, about 2 cm or 3/4-inch squares, place them in a roasting pan and toss with olive oil. Roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes until caramelized on the outside but still firm. Reduce the oven temperature to 130C/ 250F / Gas mark 1/2. (hs note: alternately, you can brown the squash in a skillet.)

Without removing the central stem, cut the kale across the leaf into 2cm / 3/4-inch slices. Melt the butter into an oven-proof casserole dish (pot) and fry the onion and chilies gently over a low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized. Add the garlic and fry for three minutes more. Add the tomatoes and paprika, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the ground almonds, chocolate, squash, borlotti beans, kale, and a teaspoon of salt. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Cover the casserole and put it in the oven to cook gently for 2 hours.

Serves 4.

Hope you guys are having a good fall so far!  I just got back to Ithaca from a visit to Queens University up in Canada for a math conference, and the leaves up there were all bright red and gold and yellow, so I'm in such an autumn mood.

On the note of fall, you guys have any plans to celebrate the last of fall?  Thanksgiving-y stuff?

~Gwyn