Savory Green Bean Cobbler

Adam and I were members of a CSA program (a box of local produce that was delivered every other week) last year.  It was a great opportunity to try new things, and helped me learn to like a lot of vegetables that scared me or that I had never tasted before.  

Many weeks, we got something in our box that I would look at and wonder what on earth I was going to do with it.  I spent many hours scouring the internet for good recipes with rutabaga and the like.   

This is how I stumbled onto this savory cobbler recipe (I was trying to use up a large bunch of collard greens).  I was suspicious of it the first time I made it, but it is a wonderful dish that I have made a number of times, always with great success!  I have adapted it to fit my needs, but I have made the original, and it is great as well!  

Savory Green Bean Cobbler:
Adapted from The Yellow House

Biscuit top:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
5 Tbs unsalted butter, very cold and diced into small 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk (or scan 3/4 cup milk with a little lemon juice or white vinegar added.  Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the milk is curdled)

Filling:
1/2 pound Italian sausage or pork sausage, using the spices in this sausage 
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans (If using frozen, defrost in the microwave)
2 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Begin by making the biscuit dough.  Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer.  Add the honey and the butter pieces and mix until the butter is mostly combined and the largest pieces are the size of peas.  Then add the buttermilk and stir for a few seconds until the flour is all mixed in.  Drop 1/4 cup drops of biscuit dough onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes.

While your biscuit dough is getting cold, make your filling.  Begin cooking your sausage in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Once it is no longer pink (but before it gets too brown), add the diced onion and cook until the onion begin to soften. Add garlic powder and cook for a minute, then add the broth.  Turn up the temperature and bring the mixture to a boil.

Add the green beans, turn the heat to low and let them cook for about 15 minutes.  Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, until the cornstarch is dissolved and add it to the green bean mixture, then add the milk.  Let it simmer over low for a 3 or 4 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.

Preheat your oven to 375°F.  Pour the green bean mixture into an 8x8 sized glass baking pan.  Remove your cold biscuits from the refrigerator and gently place them on top of the green bean mixture.

Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the biscuits look lovely and golden on the top.  Remove and let cool slightly before eating.

Enjoy!