Southwest beans with toasted hominy and honey tomatillo vinaigrette

Creator notes

When developing this recipe for Primary Beans’ new harvest of Southwest beans, I wanted to match the subtle sweetness of these beans with something light and bright for spring. Given their shared regional roots and tart flavor, tomatillos proved to be the perfect contrasting ingredient. The rest of this salad was about connecting the dots- honey for an extra punch of sweetness, southwestern veggies for freshness, corn nuts for texture, and oven-toasted hominy as a nod to the hundreds of masa-laden tamales I ate during the farmers market weekends of my youth. 

– Jackie Young, @cookwithjackie

Featured bean: Southwest Red

Other beans to try: Southwest Gold

Take 'em from dried to cooked with our guide! 

Print recipe here

Ingredients

• ½ lb dried Primary Beans Southwest Red beans
• 1 dried New Mexican chile
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• A glug of olive oil

• ⅓ lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1-½ tbsp honey
• ½ jalapeño, cut into large chunks
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• ¼ tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
• A few turns of fresh cracked black pepper
• ¼ cup neutral oil

• 1 can hominy
• 1 large avocado, cubed
• 8 oz cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and salted
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings
• 1 red radish, thinly cut into matchsticks
• ½ jalapeño, finely chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
• 4 oz queso fresco
• A handful of corn nuts for serving

Directions

Prepare the beans: Cook beans with spices, salt, and olive oil according to the Primary Beans cooking guide. When beans are tender, discard chile and bay leaves, drain well, and allow to cool. 

Toast your hominy: Preheat the oven to 425°. Rinse hominy to separate kernels and dab dry with a paper towel. Spread hominy evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, until hominy is dry to the touch. Set aside to cool. 

Make the dressing: Set broiler to high and place husked and rinsed tomatillos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil tomatillos until blistered on top, about 4 minutes, then flip and continue broiling until tomatillos are starting to collapse, about 2 minutes. Remove from broiler and allow to cool. 

Transfer tomatillos to immersion blender with honey, large jalapeño chunks, garlic, cilantro leaves, oregano, red wine vinegar, a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper, and kosher salt. Once smooth, continue blending while streaming in ¼ cup neutral oil until emulsified. Taste and adjust for seasoning. 

Assemble and dress: In a large bowl, combine beans, toasted hominy, avocado, tomatoes, shallot, radish, finely chopped jalapeño, and remaining cilantro leaves. Season with a glug of olive oil, flaky salt, and a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper. Toss to combine. Transfer to serving bowl. Generously drizzle dressing and top with queso fresco, corn nuts, and additional cilantro leaves. Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

NOTES:

*Because of the naturally high pectin level in tomatillos, leftover dressing may thicken and become slightly gelatinous. Simply add a small splash of water along with a dash of salt and whisk to reconstitute.

*The oven-toasted hominy is a trick I learned from Chris Morocco of Bon Appetit’s Posole Verde recipe. If you’re in a time crunch, you can skip this step, but toasting helps concentrate the corn flavor while removing any trace “canned” flavor, helps the hominy keep its shape when tossed with other ingredients, and ensures hominy’s optimal texture.