Spicy Sausage with Hominy

Last Wednesday, we had a business dinner to attend.  I didn't really want to go, but the Handyman felt we should, so I am there for him, and off we went.
The dinner was held at a local Basque Restaurant, The Martin Hotel.  It's an old Basque Boarding house... the Basque people came over from  Europe  (the Pyrenees mountain area between Spain and France) originally as sheep herders.  They set up boarding houses for the young men away from their families.
The dinners are always 'family style'.  They set big bowls of soup, salad,   beans, bread,  and then they bring out your meal, which consists of a meat, and three or four side dishes.   One of the side dishes on Wednesday was this  hominy, chick pea dish.  I fell in love with it. 
I had to come home and recreate it. I Googled and could only find a soup recipe that was somewhat similar.  So, I made the soup, but substituted my own stuff.

In a Basque restaurant, they most likely would have used a spicy Chorizo, but I didn't.  I substituted Hot Italian Sausage and we liked that  just fine.
And Garbanzo Beans and Hominy?  I guess they are not for everybody, but as I ask my kids --my grown up kids---all the time, have you ever TRIED them?
I think you just might like them.
If you are not sure if you like them, maybe you should try the soup version instead of the  this version.
I think that would be great, but I chose to recreate the side dish version I had at the restaurant, because I liked it so much.  All I did  to recreate was use less liquid than the recipe below.  
I do love soup and  I am going to try the soup version also one day, just not today.

The reason I had to come home and recreate this so soon after we had it in the restaurant was because, one thing about  a family style Basque restaurant is that sometimes, they whip the dishes off the table quite quickly.  There is just so much food, that when they see everyone has taken some of a certain dish, the waitress will ask,  "is everyone done with this?"  and then take it with her on the way back to the kitchen.  (she has lots of tables and lots of dishes to serve and clear--there is no bus person).
Anyway, when she asked if everyone was done with that dish,  I wanted to say, NO, dont' take that!!   But my plate was full of beans, and potatoes, and carrots and  salmon  and bread.  And we were with other people, who kept their mouths shut, so I watched sadly as the waitress carried away the bowl full of hominy and spicy sausage.

No worries now tho, I can make it whenever I want.

The Handyman got this bean/sausage dish for his supper on Saturday night. It was really cold out, had snowed the night before and we just stayed home, watched a movie and ate our beans. I would say this is definitely a comfort food, warm and rustic and good.  COME ON--seriously, hominy is not bad!  Neither are Chick peas.  In fact, I think they are good for you.  If you used Turkey Sausage, you could even  make this a 'good for you' comfort food.



 

 
 
I am going to ( link this to)  "See You in the Gumbo"  a Potluck roundup at Ms. enPlace's place.  You should go check it out to see all the other good recipes  in this week's roundup.  Or better yet,   join in!
 

Spicy Sausage (soup) with Hominy

1 lb mild sausage (I used hot Italian) casings removed
1 onion diced 
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes  (I used mild Rotel)
1 can  (15oz) black beans  (I used garbanzo beans)
1 can  (15oz) yellow hominy, drained
1 can tomato soup  (condensed)
3 1/2 cups water  (I didn't use)
2 cups beef broth  (I used about  3/4 cup)
1 cup salsa --optional  (I didn't use)
1 tsp parsley, dried

Brown sausage in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and drain fat.
Add diced onion and cook until tender.
Add everything else, but the parsley and stir.  Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about an hour.
Stir in the parsley and season to taste.  (you may not need additional seasoning, I didn't)
Serve with warm bread  (I made cornbread)