More or Less Mexican Harvest Stew

• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped fine, about 1 1/2 cups
• 1 1/2 cups fresh shelled beans -- limas, cranberries or pintos, about 1 pound in the shell
• 8 ounces flat beer
• 1/2 cup diced deveined jalapeno peppers, a few seeds left in, in 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped tomatillos or full-grown but still green tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups corn kernels and their liquid, 3 to 6 ears depending on size
• 2 large bell peppers, 1 green and 1 red, cored, seeded and cut in 1/2-inch square pieces, about 2 cups
• 3/4 cup light cream, or 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup of half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
• 1 large clove garlic, minced fine
• Salt to taste
• 3 or 4 leaves romaine or other crisp lettuce, shredded fine, for garnish

1. Put the sausage in a large nonreactive saucepan or small kettle over low heat and cook until a bit of fat is released.
2. Raise the heat slightly and cook, stirring, until the sausage is browned and most of the fat is rendered.
3. Remove and reserve the sausage; pour off all but a thin film of the fat.
4. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it is golden brown.
5. Stir in the beans and beer, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the beans are almost tender.
6. Stir in the jalapenos and tomatillos, turn up the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the liquid just peeks through the vegetables.
7. Add the corn, sweet peppers, 1/2 cup of the cream, oregano, cumin, cloves, and reserved cooked sausage.
8. Stir well, lower the heat to simmer, cover the panand let everything get acquainted for about 20 minutes.
9. Uncover the pan, add the remaining cream, the coriander and the garlic.
10. Simmer just long enough to take the raw edge off the garlic, then add salt and serve at once, topped with the shredded lettuce.

sausage, onion, cranberries, flat beer, jalapeno peppers, fullgrown but still green tomatoes, corn kernels, bell peppers, light cream, fresh oregano, ground cumin, ground cloves, fresh coriander, clove garlic, salt, crisp lettuce

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4795 (may not work)