Thufferin' Thuccotash

I never really thought about succotash as an actual food people in the 21st century might eat. Its sole association in my mind has been Sylvester, the cartoon cat with the speech impediment. I think somehow I inferred from the depression-era vintage of those cartoons that succotash must be a mushy, nutrient-rich slop only eaten by people in Steinbeck novels who had fallen on hard times. It seems to me I did have a vague idea that it involved lima beans, which did not boost its appeal in my mind. I can't remember the last time I had lima beans, but I can say for sure I do not have fond memories of them. Lima beans, like broccoli or brussels sprouts or spinach (all delicious if prepared well), have a reputation of being a punishment food--you know, the last thing left on your plate, an unappetizing obstacle standing between you and dessert. On their own they are not unpleasant, but I can imagine how they might take on a chalky bland consistency if overcooked. In any case, there's no reason why it should occur to me to make succotash for dinner.

I chanced, however, on a recent post from Smitten Kitchen, a cooking blog I intermittently follow, with a recipe for "summer succotash." It looked amazingly good, and totally easy to prepare. I had some corn in the freezer that I had been thinking about using, and I wanted to make a simple meal out of it that was a little more appropriate for the hot weather we've been having than a chowder of some kind. Succotash was the solution. I made it tonight for dinner and the result was light but filling, and truly yummy. I made some changes from the original recipe; I didn't have some of the specialty items called for, such as sherry vinegar, on hand, but the result was quite pleasing, nevertheless. Because I was concerned that the succotash itself wouldn't be enough for a meal, I cooked up a little pasta to pour it over, pasta-salad style, and that was pretty satisfying, all in all. Here's my somewhat less fancy version of Smitten Kitchen's recipe. I've rounded portions up a bit to make four solid servings; I had to skimp on some things, and ended up with about three.

10 oz bag frozen lima beans, thawed

10 oz bag frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, mined

6 slices bacon

Juice of one lime

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove and cook the lima beans until just tender (think "al dente"), about five minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water and set aside. Meanwhile, combine the lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper and let sit. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and set aside to drain on a paper towel. Pour off most of the bacon grease, leaving only about a tablespoon left, and add a splash of olive oil. Cook the onion in the bacon grease until it starts to soften, about a minute. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the corn, tomatoes, and lime-juice mixture. Cook just until the tomatoes begin to lose their firmness. Crumble half the bacon and toss it with the lima beans, and add both to the skillet. Cook until just warmed through and remove from the heat. Toss with the fresh basil and garnish with the remaining bacon. If, like me, you are eating by your lonesome, set aside some of the crumbled bacon and basil in a plastic baggie until you get around to eating the leftovers. Can be eaten cold. It would be easy enough to eliminate the bacon, if you are not a bacon eater, and turn this into a vegan dish. I would suggest eating it with some quinoa (a grain high in protein) for a balanced dinner.

Enjoy!