Pote Americano

Ok, so pote is a big deal in Asturias. A BIG deal. Think Texas State Fair BBQ and Chili Cook-Off big deal. Pote has the same level of competitive cooking to it here in Asturias. So of course, I have to throw my hat into the ring and offer up my very own Pote Americano.

Briefly, pote is the Asturian and Galician equivalent to olla (as in olla podrida) in Castilla, and cocido in Madrid. That means it is not a single dish, but a complex of dishes. It is a direct descendant of the pottage that comprised the majority of peasant and laborer cooking in the middle ages. Its closest American equivalent is “pork and beans”, and a southern variation on that dish is my starting point for this recipe.

Some Pote Etymology

The modern slow cooker is the closest analogue to the other meaning of the word pote – a clay pot, often three legged, for cooking stews over an open fire. In English this was commonly called a pipkin or a bean pot. Folks from New England will recognize this, I am sure. Boston even has a yearly ice hockey tournament called The Beanpot (how ’bout them Huskies?).

I digress. The slow cooker is an obvious choice for making this recipe, as it is not only the closest safe modern analogue to cooking in a bean pot, but also because Americans love a slow cooker. A slow cooker was one of the first purchases I made upon moving to Spain. I bet I could count on one hand the number of houses I’ve been in in the US that don’t have a slow cooker. Yes, I’m that old.

Otherwise, this is a pretty straightforward melding of two related but until now distinct strains of the “throw it all in a pot with some beans and eat it tomorrow” school of cookery. Asturias is full of recipes for compango and greens (and whatever else is lying around) in a stew. America is full of white bean and cabbage (and whatever else is lying around) in a stew. Why not combine them into compango, white beans, cabbage/greens (and whatever else is lying around) in a stew?

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion. Finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots. Peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb. Cored and finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery. Finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic. Peeled and minced
• 30 ml olive oil. And more for garnish
• 1 small green cabbage. Cored and sliced into thin ribbons
• 60 g tomato paste.
• 1.5 L chicken broth.Homemade, canned, from cubes. Use whatever you have.
• 200 g dried white beans. Cannellini or Great Northern preferred, but use what you have!
• 1 compango

Instructions

1. Soak your beans overnight: Put them in a large pot, throw in a fist full of kosher salt, and add cold water until it is a couple of inches higher than the beans. Leave them overnight, then drain and rinse them when you are ready to begin your recipe.
2. Set your slow cooker to high, and add the oil. When it has warmed enough to shimmer, add your onion, carrot, fennel, celery, and garlic.
3. After 30 minutes or so, add your tomato paste, stock, and beans. Leave the slow cooker to do its thing for 7-8 hours.
4. Once the beans are soft, add your shredded cabbage and your compango. In one hour, your pote will be ready.