SOUTHERNISM OF THE WEEK

All stove up: The way I’m feeling after two months of long plane rides with carry-on luggage… in pain, stiff and sore, can hardly get around. Dates back to the times when the only warmth available for achy joints and muscles on a cold day was near the stove.

ALL-IN-ONE SUCCOTASH VEGGIE DISH MAKES COOKING EASY

The chill is long gone. The rains have diminished. Ol’ Mother Nature is finally cooperating. After prolonged, Noah’s Ark-like gulley-washers, she’s cranking out some gorgeous produce. It’s showing up in colorful displays at all the local farmers’ markets and seasonal roadside produce stands.

Right now, we’re enjoying an abundance of blueberries, blackberries, corn, tomatoes, okra, squash, rattlesnake beans, melons, peppers and eggplants. I’ve even seen a few peaches already.

What better way to celebrate summertime than with a crockpot full of squash or peas paired with servings of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, grilled new potatoes, stone-ground cheese grits and homemade bread from the farmers’ market? If given your druthers, go ahead and throw in a berry-and-custard trifle made with fresh farm eggs, and sweeten the pot with a peach cobbler.

You get the picture. This time of year, life is really, really good… even if for those poor souls who aren’t all that into food.

This week we are going to discuss succotash, one of the more simplistic combinations containing that bounty. It’s a year-round staple of American cooking that dates back to our Native American forebears. In fact, the very name “succotash” is derived from a Narragansett word “sukkotahhash,” referring to broken corn kernels. The dish consisted of corn cooked with limas or other shelly beans.

Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas figured out thousands of years ago that corn and beans (and squash) worked well together like yin and yang.

Scientists have proven what those early farmers figured out, which is that corn lacks the right form of niacin as well as the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, all of which are needed for human nutrition. But beans contain these nutrients, while lacking cysteine and methionine. Guess where they can be found? Yup. Corn.

In addition to complementing each other nutritionally, beans and corn complement each other ecologically. The early Americans found that the tall and strong corn stalks provided a perfect trellis for bean vines, which provided a natural, weed-preventing groundcover underneath the corn. Each plant, when working in tandem, replaces nutrients depleted from the soil by the other. Seems like we might have a yin and yang going on here, eh?

That’s why our Native American ancestors farmed in a “milpa” system, planting complementary plants such as corn, beans and squash together. This ecosystem of farming actually works better than “resting” land between soil-depleting crops such as corn.

Whether grown in a milpa system or in modern, soldier-like rows, the corn and beans and peas continue to appeal to our tastes. Knowledgeable consumers stalk the farmers markets for bags of peas and butter beans when they come into season. Frozen supplies also are available year round.

NOTE: There’s a whole other essay I could write about butter beans. Science and colloquial culture do not completely jive when describing the bean, and whether there are differences between dried and fresh versions. In other words, what is a lima bean, and is it different from a butter bean? And where do butter peas fit into the picture?

Just accept for now that in the South, we loosely refer to everything as a butter bean, whether large and tan or brown speckled, or green or yellow. Butter peas are like baby green butter beans.

Our Southern versions of succotash almost always contain some version of butter bean (or lima) in addition to corn. The Southern versions also tend to contain bacon or bacon drippings, and often contain okra and a bit of sugar. Other peas, beans and ham are perfectly acceptable in the mix, as is chicken broth in lieu of water. Tomatoes are optional as well.

In my family, the version we cook up depends on our collective culinary mood or the weather. The creamy version remains our family favorite, but if you’ve never made succotash before, start with the simple version and improvise.

I have included four variations of succotash this week to illustrate how to improvise on the theme. HINT: If you tend to have gastrointestinal discomfort from any type of bean, use fresh water or chicken broth where I’ve said to use reserved bean liquid.

SIMPLE SUCCOTASH

2 c fresh or frozen lima beans (or baby limas/butter peas)

4 c water or chicken broth

2 c fresh or frozen corn

3 strips of bacon

1 c chopped white onion

2 T butter

2 T bacon drippings

1 T sugar, OPTIONAL

Splash of hot sauce such as Tabasco, OPTIONAL

Creole seasoning, OPTIONAL

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer limas or butter peas until done (shriveled skins disappear and beans appear plump). Drain, reserving some of the liquid, and set aside.

In a large skillet, fry bacon in bacon drippings, adding up to 2 additional tablespoons if needed. Remove bacon and crumble into small pieces. Sauté the onion and corn in the bacon drippings, stirring frequently until onions are transparent.

Add the cooked limas, bacon pieces and seasonings, along with reserved liquid, and simmer about 20-30 minutes.

CREAMY SUCCOTASH

This version is delicious. Feel free to substitute butter peas, lady peas, or even chickpeas for the limas. Also feel free to add smoked sausage such as Kielbasa, Conecuh or Cajun-style.

2 c fresh or frozen lima beans, thawed (I use baby limas)

4 c water or chicken broth

2 c fresh or frozen corn

3 strips of bacon

1 c chopped white or Vidalia sweet onion

2 T butter

2 T bacon drippings

1/2 c fine-chopped bell pepper

1-1/2 c diced tomatoes

1 T light brown sugar

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 to 2 tsp Creole seasoning, to taste

Splash of Tabasco or other hot sauce

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 to 1/2 c heavy whipping cream

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Simmer limas or butter peas until done (shriveled skins disappear and beans appear plump). Drain, reserving some of the liquid, and set aside. In a large skillet, fry bacon in bacon drippings, adding up to 2 additional tablespoons if needed. Remove bacon and crumble into small pieces.

Sauté the corn, onion and bell pepper in the bacon drippings, stirring frequently until onions are transparent. Add the cooked limas, tomatoes, bacon pieces, sugar, parsley and seasonings, and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir in cream, salt and pepper. Simmer about 10-15 minutes, until the liquid thickens and becomes a creamy sauce.

SAUSAGE SUCCOTASH

This is an all-in-one main dish. Always start with the basics of simple succotash. Just about any smoked or spicy sausage will work with this version. If using fresh bratwurst, remove the casing, slice and cut again, forming the sausage into small meatballs.

2 c fresh or frozen lima beans, thawed (I use baby limas)

4 c water or chicken broth

3 strips of bacon

1 c cubed Cajun style sausage or fresh brats

2 c fresh or frozen corn

1 c chopped white or Vidalia sweet onion

2 or 4-oz jar of diced pimentos, in juice

1-1/2 c diced tomatoes

1 to 2 tsp Creole seasoning, to taste

1-1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, to taste

Simmer limas or butter peas until done (shriveled skins disappear and beans appear plump). Drain, reserving some of the liquid, and set aside.

In a large skillet, fry bacon in bacon drippings, adding up to 2 additional tablespoons if needed. Remove bacon and crumble into small pieces.

Slice and cube the sausage (remove casings first if using brats). Sauté in the bacon drippings until cooked. Stir in the corn and onion, stirring frequently until onions are transparent.

Add the cooked limas, tomatoes, bacon pieces, pimentos in juice, reserved liquid if needed, and seasonings. Simmer about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

SLOW COOKER SUCCOTASH

In experimenting with this, I learned the hard way that it is very possible to overcook succotash. The butter beans lose their buttery flavor and the entire dish will turn out like a relish! If using a traditional slow cooker with only low or high settings, you will need to check the pot after a few hours. The ingredients listed below will fill a traditional 6-qt slow cooker.

1 T butter, canola or extra light olive oil

1 to 2 T bacon drippings

2 c chopped white or sweet onion

2 c butter peas or baby limas

16 oz chicken stock or broth

2 c sliced fresh or frozen okra

2 c diced tomatoes (fresh or canned, drained)

3 oz bacon bits or equivalent (6 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp Creole seasoning, to taste

Sauté the onion in bacon drippings, butter or vegetable oil. Pour onions and drippings into cooker.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly. Cover and set slow cooker on high (or 4 hours if using a cooker programmable for 4, 6, 8 or 10 hours).

Stir the contents after 2 hours and reduce setting to low if using the two-temperature cooker. Check again at the 4-hour mark and reduce to warm or turn off.

Laurie Triplette is a writer, historian and accredited appraiser of fine arts, dedicated to preserving Southern culture and foodways. Author of the award-winning community family cookbook GIMME SOME SUGAR, DARLIN’, and editor of ZEBRA TALES (Tailgating Recipes from the Ladies of the NFLRA), Triplette is a member of the Association of Food Journalists, Southern Foodways Alliance and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Check out the GIMME SOME SUGAR, DARLIN’ website and follow Laurie’s food adventures on Facebook and Twitter.