It's that time of year. Sweet corn and lima beans are in season at the same time. Yeah, baby, it's succotash time. Oh, you hate lima beans? I don't think you do. I think you hate canned lima beans. Even frozen limas are miles better than canned. But fresh lima beans? Nothing beats fresh limas. Soft, creamy, buttery - they're a delight. And almost impossible to find. Fortunately I managed to snag one (only one?!) bag at the farm markets last week. They can be found (in short supply, apparantly) at Toad Hill Organics at the North Market), and you might be able to find them at Whole Foods.
Growing up, my mother's family had a succotash soup dinner each summer. Looking back, it was a little bizarre - sweet corn, potatoes (I think there wer potatoes) and lima beans were cooked in milk and served with saltines. I have never seen or heard of something similar elsewhere. As a child, I liked it and hated it at the same time; but for some reason, that's where I remember learning that milk and pepper went really, really well together. I can still see that rather peaked brew, little black pepper flakes floating on top. I would put the vegetables on top of a buttered saltine. (oh how I loved buttered saltines!) This is the same family, by the way, who ate coffee soup: crunched up saltines topped with coffee, sugar, and milk. One day, we'll talk about the strange things my dad's side of the family ate - those crazy Amish folk.
At any rate, the minute my fingers touched the pack of limas, they told me they wanted to be made into succotash. Simple, healthy, full of bright late summer flavors, not filled with cream or butter or even *gasp* bacon, just pure vegetable-y goodness. And a tiny little bit of spice.
This is yet another of those incredibly simple summer dishes. Everything is fresh, local and full of flavor. You could certainly add bacon at the beginning, to good effect (and you might try some of the Wayward Seed's incredible jowl bacon, which you have to ask for at the market). You could add potatoes (I made potatoes along with this and mixed the two together for dinner) if you like, or really anything you find at the market. It just now occured to me that my Toby Run shitakes would have been a good addition. Next time. I bought lots of peppers at the market this week; you of course, don't have to go out of your way to use three types of peppers.
Late Summer Farm Market Succotash - serves 2
Cooking Spray (I like olive oil spray)
2 small white onions
1 small leek, white and light green parts only, slivered and rinsed of any dirt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, peeled and cut into small dice
1/2 long mildly hot red pepper, small dice
1/2 poblano pepper, peeled and cut into small dice
1/4 cup sweet corn broth (I just happened to be making a batch and it was still on the stove - you can substitute any vegetable or chicken stock)
1 cup lima beans - blanched for about 10 minutes, or until soft, if fresh. I happened to have a chunk of rind from a piece of Oakvale aged Gouda I used up this week, so I tossed that into the water for a little flavor, but don't feel like you have to.
4 ears of sweet corn, blanched for 4 minutes and then kernals removed, or about 1 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with a little olive oil spray. Add the onions and the leek and dust with cayenne pepper. Cook until they begin to soften - about 5 minutes, then add the peppers and cook until they begin to soften - about 5 more minutes. Add the stock and cook for a minute or so, until it has reduced a little, then add the sweet corn and limas. Cook until the stock has cooked off and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Local sources for this recipe: I purchased the onions - cippolinis - from Wayward Seed farm, along with the poblano pepper. The hot pepper and the sweet corn came from my CSA this week, and the limas were from Toad Hill. 
