A New Take on Comfort Food

Winter always brings the need for comfort foods – those dishes handed down from generations that feel like home and taste like heaven. Pinto beans with hot buttered cornbread is one of my favorite cold-weather comforts. This dish reimagines that classic pairing. I wanted to share that same comfort but in an elegant and refined way. The holiday ham bone is repurposed as a seasoning in the pot of beans, and the pickled Summer vegetables garnish the hearty dish with a bit of brightness. The addition of the smoked chicken stock, grilled cabbage and foie gras make for complex flavors while preserving the warm comfort of the beans.

- Cassidee Dabney, Executive Chef of The Barn

Pinto Beans and Foie Gras with Grilled Cabbage and Onion

For the Pinto Beans

• 2 cups of the best quality dried pinto beans
• 6 cups water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

I like to use an instant pot to cook the beans. Cook all ingredients for 20 minutes on the steam setting. Allow to cool in any remaining liquid.

Smoked Chicken Stock

Brine 24 chicken wings for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 cup of salt per gallon of water.

Remove the wings from the brine and allow to dry on a rack.

Smoke chicken wings for 45 minutes to an hour at 200 degrees, making sure they are extremely smoky.

Add smoked wings to a pot, cover with 1 gallon of rich chicken stock.

Simmer for 2-3 hours, then strain and cool.

If the whole smoked chicken wing seems like a lot of work, you can add a chunk of smoky bacon or fatback to your chicken stock, simmer for 2-3 hours and strain.

For the Cabbage

• 1 head of green cabbage, quartered then separate the leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup neutral cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Toss the cabbage leaves in a large bowl with the garlic, oil and salt. Allow the leaves to marinate for about an hour. Grill over high heat and char each leaf uniformly on both sides.

What else you’ll need:

• 4 cups large diced foie gras, cleaned of veins and fat
• 1.4 cup chopped chives
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 10 each roasted Cipollini onions, quartered

Heat up 2 quarts of the smoked chicken stock with the strained pinto beans, and add the roasted onion. Simmer until completely hot, reduce heat and add the diced foie gras. Gently poach for about one minute until almost soft. Add chives and season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Top with pieces of the grilled cabbage and serve immediately.

Serves 6-9 small portions