Bean Pie

If you were to ask L to make a list of the meals I make on a regular basis, Bean Pie one would be at the top of the list. The first time I tried this recipe was at J's house (shout out to her blog over at the Secret Pie Shoppe!), and I loved it, so after finding the original recipe here on Martha Stewart's website, I decided to attempt to make it myself (with my own modifications) and we've been happily eating it ever since. Typically, this dish can feed the both of us for dinner and lunch the next day (and sometimes even with a bit left over) Monday night was actually the first time I've made in in over a month (packing up the apartment and moving into the house called for a lot of take out and deliver during that time), and B was over and able to enjoy it as well!

I apologize in advance for the non-logical way of taking pictures and that there aren't pictures of every step, but L forgot to remind me to gather up all the ingredients and my camera before I dived in to cooking... so it's totally all his fault.

Ingredients:

• 4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced (I use a yellow onion, but it's personal preference)
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 12 ounces beer (I prefer a light beer)
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
• 10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (3 cups)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and trim tortillas to fit in a springform pan, using the bottom as a guide, and set aside.

2.) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 3.) Add onion, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

4.) Add beans and beer...
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated (this should take about 8 to 10 minutes, but I've had it take upwards of 20 minutes before, so just keep an eye on it).
5.) Once liquid has almost evaporated, stir in corn and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
6.) Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and enough cheese to over the bean mixture (add more or less depending on how much you like cheese!)
Repeat this step three times7.) Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese melts.8.) Remove side of pan
9.) Finally, slice pie into wedges to serve! We enjoy Spanish rice as a side dish with the bean pie, but this meal is so hearty that you don't even need a side dish to go with it. Also, you'll notice how different L and I are when it comes to food- I like mine separated from each other with sour cream and no salsa (see above), while L, on the other hand, loves to drown his bean pie in salsa...
Overall, from start to finish, this meal takes about 1 hour to prepare and cook, and is completely vegetarian. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!