Succotash is equally at home on your Thanksgiving table as it is as a summer side dish, but make use of fresh, summer vegetables to make this spicy version.
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
5ozabout 1 cup yellow corn kernels
5ozabout 1 cup white corn kernels
8ozabout 1 1/2 cups baby lima beans
1can Ro-Tel(I used the Chunky style)
½cupvegetable broth or water
½ to 1teaspooncayenne pepperto taste
½cupdried fava beanssimmered in 1 1/2 cups unsalted water for 30 minutes, drained
4oz1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Cook the bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet until crisp. Crumble it and set aside.
Pour off all the fat except about 1 Tablespoon.
Add the butter to the pan and then cook the onion along with some salt and pepper until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the corn kernels, lima beans, Ro-Tel and cayenne. Stir to combine and heat through.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as necessary.
Add the broth or water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the vegetables simmer about 5-6 minutes until the limas are approaching tender.
Remove the lid, add the cream and turn the heat back up to reduce the broth/cream mixture to a thick sauce, about 5 minutes.
Add the reserved fava beans during the last 3 minutes of cooking to heat through.
Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Stir in about 2/3 of the crumbled bacon.
Top each serving with additional crumbled bacon.
Enjoy
Notes
Nutrition calculated for 4 servings. There are many ways to modify this specific recipe. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Save time by using store-bought pre-crumbled bacon and saute your vegetables in olive oil and butter rather than in bacon fat
If you can find fresh favas in the springtime, by all means use them. You will still want to cook them separately until tender, about 15-20 minutes (or more or less depending on the size of your fava beans)
When making this recipe out of season, feel free to use frozen or even canned (drained) vegetables. Follow the instructions on the bags to see how long you should cook each vegetable to ensure they are tender.
Leave out the fava beans entirely and replace with either more limas or any other fresh bean of your choice. I love field peas that we get at the farmers’ market
If you don’t want it to be too spicy, replace the Ro-Tel with diced tomatoes, fresh or canned.
You can also leave out or reduce the amount of cayenne called for
Consider using ground chipotle instead of cayenne for a spicy, smoky flavor