Three Sisters Soup

Corn, beans and squash

Homage to the Mesoamerican Ancient Cultures

Perfect to start the Thanksgiving Holiday

          You can do it like the Ancients did it, but it will take at least two days.  You can do it like your grandma and use a pressure cooker for the beans, but you may end up with beans all over the ceiling, like your grandma did.  Or, you can do it like this.

Ingredients for 16 cups of soup:

1 cup of Cajun Trinity (Diced onion, celery and green pepper)
1  - 32 oz. can of vegetable broth unsalted 
1 can of whole pinto beans without much seasoning, or none at all.
1 can of whole white beans, idem (navy, cannellini, or northern).
1 can of whole red kidney beans, idem, except drain and rinse or their color will dominate.
1 can of whole tender sweet corn.
2 cans of creamed corn
1 can or 2 small cans of roasted, diced tomato and chipotle (Instead of chipotle can use green chili, or jalapeno, but it will be hotter, like Rotel; or use diced tomatoes and add your choice of hot spice)
3  large zucchini, 3 yellow squash; cut in ½ inch rounds and quarter. (Can add calabacitas if available)
2 cups of roasted butternut squash cubes (Some stores will sell the cubes raw, if so, just add.  Can use Guicoy chunks without skin. If roasting the butternut squash is too much work, skip it).
Spices:  2 bay leaves (laurel), ½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp sage.
Garnish:  cilantro and scallions

HOW TO:
In large  (At least 1 gal.) pot, sweat the trinity in a tbspn of butter or oil, for 3 min. Then add the broth and an equal amount of water and the spices. Add all the cut squashes and bring to a boil. Add all the beans and lower to simmer (15-20 min.).  You do not want mushy veggies or beans. Once the squashes are softened, it is ready.  
ADJUST SEASONING: Soup will naturally be on the sweet side. Broth and pre-cooked beans will add other flavors.  To your taste, add salt or other seasoned salt mix if you want less sweet. ADJUST THE CHILI SPICE if hotter is desired. 
ADJUST THICKNESS: Use a hand blender and liquefy 2 cups of the mixed veggies and beans and return to the pot, or thicken with dehydrated potato flakes to your taste, from liquiddy soup to thick pottage.   
Before serving, garnish on top of each cup/bowl a tspn of chopped cilantro and green onion tops (green).
ENJOY.

TO BE MORE AUTHENTIC:
The cream corn and the tender sweet corn are modern varieties of corn.  Only fresh cut corn would give you a similar result, but it was not common for the ancients. Most likely, all their soups were made with hominy style corn (pozole).  Try and add one can of this type of corn, or just use "pozole" style corn instead of the ones listed.  The soup will require a different balance since it will not be naturally sweet.   Pozole soups are very traditional in Mexico and many recipes can be found.  Every family has its own "secret abuelita's" pozole recipe.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

ON U. S. TERRITORY

Our heritage is our past;

it is what those who lived before us 

left for us to improve upon and never forget.

Our heritage is our present.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING WAS HISPANIC

The southwest of the United States had been explored before, but it was not until 1598 that the first European settlers arrived to establish towns along the Rio Grande.

Don Juan de Oñate's expedition was the first attempt to create them. More than 500 people and 7,000 domestic animals crossed the Chihuahua Desert to arrive in the Piro Indian villages of what is today’s El Paso, in Texas.

After 50 days in the desert, many people and animals had died. Food and water ran out in the last five days. The Rio Grande was their salvation, where they were helped by the Indians who gave them food and water.

  

After 10 days of resting, Oñate ordered a Day of Thanksgiving. They had a feast, supplied with game by the Spaniards and fish by the natives of the region. Finally, Oñate read “La Toma” (The taking) declaring the land drained by the Rio Grande to be the possession of Spain.  After the celebration, the settlers continued travelling north and eventually founded the city of Santa Fe in 1607.

The place where they celebrated the first Day of Thanksgiving became known as El Paso del Norte. Plymouth, Massachusetts, was not established until 1620, where a few years later they also had a Day of Thanksgiving after the hardships encountered in the New World. 

Oñate's historical opening of the southwest is recognized in several monuments. This photograph shows a life-size bronze sculpture of Don Juan De Oñate near the City of El Paso, Texas, International Airport.