Succotash

I never really grew up eating succotash. In fact, I grew up in a house where lima beans were treated with contempt and disgust. At the risk of incriminating myself in an unforgivable betrayal of family culinary traditions, I must say that I have actually grown to be sort of fond of the little legumes. They can be a little chalky, sure. But when cooked well and combined with the right ingredients (see below for those ingredients), these little fiber packed beauties can be downright delightful. If you’ve turned your nose up at them in the past, I implore you to give them another try. However, if you stubbornly and steadfastly refuse to try them, sub them out for kidney beans in this recipe, and it’ll still work.

Tonight, we are pairing the succotash with Braised Baby Back Ribs (try saying that three times fast), but this would go very well with grilled or roasted turkey and/or chicken as well.

Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

• Lima Beans (I’m using rehydrated baby lima beans, but for better colour and ease, go with frozen)
• Veggies (add/subtract from the list below however you see fit)
  • Peas (Frozen)
  • Corn (Frozen)
  • Carrots (I used baby carrots and cut them into round slices)
  • Onion
  • Red Pepper
• Some sort of fat component…I’m using butter tonight, but bacon grease make for a really nice flavour…especially if you keep the bacon itself in the succotash
• Seasonings. I’m just using a little salt and freshly ground black peppercorn

Method:

• Cook your lima beans according to the package, drain, and set aside when done. In the meantime, continue to make progress with the rest of your veggies:
• While your beans cook, dice your veggies
• In a decent sized pan, melt some butter (you don’t need much…I’m using about half a tablespoon for two portions)…If using bacon, cut it into small slices, and cook in the pan before moving onto the next step.
• Add your onion and carrots to the pan, and sautee for a few minutes, and toss in your red pepper
• When the carrots start to soften, and the onions and pepper caramelize, toss in your peas/corn/cooked lima beans, and sautee until they are hot.
• Plate, devour, and enjoy!