Succotash ... Or is it?

I grew up in the South, eating meals at Baptist churches. I feel as though, for better or worse, this shapes what my food is today. Succotash was one of those items I would see at a “Sunday Meeting” and think, It’s colorful, it has corn, it just might be for me. Then without fail, I would get into some lima beans and they would be the chalky, pale, canned disappointments that upset small children at those types of events, as well as me to this day.

It was likely 15 years before I had a lima bean and thought it was worth cooking. This particular time it was hidden under the rouge of a butter bean. I was in New Orleans and, let’s face it: Anything named butter I am going to at least give a fair shake.

I started cooking this dish just a couple of years before lima and I had this connection, so you will note right away there are no limas in the recipe below. There are fresh shelled purple hull peas. It could have been a pinto, English pea, lima, edamame, whatever, just preferable fresh from the local garden or fresh frozen.

I really like this recipe because it relies on very little protein to be fantastic. This dish can easily be a full meal on it’s on — rework the recipe only slightly and it’s a vegetarian delight. Add a little rice and it’s a meal, some farro and it’s an uber trendy “bowl.” This dish can be served chilled, as a salad at a picnic or “Sunday Meeting.” Just add some fresh cucumber, maybe some croutons, or smoked cashews, and it’s a totally great salad.

Succotash:

  • 3 ears of corn, corn kernels removed (discard cobs or use to make a corn stock)
  • 12 oz. (by weight) purple hull peas (or as mentioned above, use what you have fresh or fresh frozen)
  • 2-4 oz. country ham, bacon or crispy pork belly
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes (multicolored if possible) cut in half and salted
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2-3 tbsp. fresh herbs (I used thyme, basil and parsley because that’s what I had on hand, but chives, rosemary, sage, dill have all made appearances in this dish before with equal success. Honestly, dill is one of my favorites.)
  • 3 cups stock of any type, or water (I used veggie stock that I happened to have on hand.)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. blended olive oil, bacon grease or coconut oil

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan. Add the ham and cook until just crispy, remove and reserve. Add the onion to the pan and begin to caramelize. Add the garlic and reintroduce the ham and peas to the pan.

At this point I like to start by slowly adding a little liquid; I even start with a little white wine generally to build flavors. Be sure and scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up all those little burnt points of delicious flavors you have built to this point. As the liquid begins to reduce out, cover the peas with liquid. Add any hearty herbs you may be using like thyme or rosemary, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed again, generally takes about 10-12 minutes.

Taste the peas. At this point, if you want softer peas, add a little more liquid. Continuing to taste, once the peas have gotten to just shy of the desired doneness and the pan is almost devoid of any liquid, add the corn and stir quickly to incorporate. Remove from the heat and add in the tomatoes and fresh leafy herbs. Stir, taste and adjust salt and pepper. Do not salt too much at the beginning or as the stock reduces. As the flavors develop, you may end up with a salty mess.

There are almost no limitations to what you can do with this dish. When I am not cooking this for children, I often add some vinegar and just a pinch of sugar to the pan right before removing from the heat. I find most children do not appreciate the vinegar. But perhaps a little lemon juice, especially if you are watching your salt intake, will be just fine. I also like to add some heat in some chipotle or roasted hatch chilies this time of year, but again, know your crowd. I generally find this is also a great side for some fresh trout right from the Red or White River, hours out of the river and served with some great local produce, nothing could be better.

We asked Shane Henderson, Executive Chef for Ben E. Keith Foods, to share his special month-by-month guide to introducing new nutrient-rich veggies into kids’ diets. Shane knows all about trying to please his own picky eater, his 6-year-old daughter Chloe, and has crafted a calendar complete with kid-friendly recipes to help parents win more mealtime battles. Check back with FITArkansas.com for Shane’s monthly installments!