Photo: Natalie Lewis

Simply Superb Succotash

Start with farm fresh and find a New England Classic

BY MAGAZINE COLUMNIST NATALIE LEWIS

When I eat fresh lima beans, I taste the sweet flavors of self-liberation.

Every picked-from-the-pod bean frees my inner child from the traumatic frozen-fed upbringing that’s held me captive in a lima bean prison since I was a tot. While I appreciate my mother’s efforts to provide nutritious meals, I feel I’ve been deceived. I mean, why would she teach me that these delicious vegetables grow from a cardboard box?

Now that I’ve discovered the truth, it’s invigorating to know I never have to lay eyes on an iced up piece of mush again. In the famous words of Anthony Bourdain, “I’d rather lick Cheeto dust off the floor of a public bus.”

This recipe is wonderful! Succotash offers so much versatility and flexibility, so you can really mix and match an array of flavors, using whatever ingredients strike your mood.

Farmer’s Market Succotash

1/2 lb lima beans, out of pods
1 medium zucchini, diced
1/2 onion (or one small onion), diced
4 ears of corn, kernels cut off
about 6 small fingerling potatoes
about 12-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced fine
olive oil
salt and pepper

Prep the potatoes Preheat oven to 400 F and slice potatoes into 1/4 inch discs. Place potatoes on baking sheet with salt and an olive oil drizzle and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Prep the lima beans While potatoes are cooking, blanch lima beans in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes or until beans are soft. Drain beans and transfer immediately to a cold water bath.

Final assembly In sauté pan with olive oil add onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes on med-low or until translucent. Add garlic, corn, zucchini and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Once potatoes are ready add to sauté pan with the other veggies and add lima beans and basil. Combine in pan, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Enjoy more of Natalie’s delicious recipes, gorgeous photographs and engaging writing at the Daily Crave.

© 2011, The Magazine of Yoga, LLC.