Summer Succotash
Summer Succotash
Succotash is an iconic Southern summer dish, filled with the region’s best produce. I took a trip to Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market this week - my new summer habit - and saw that the okra was looking good, so I knew I had to make the dish this week.
I started making this particular succotash dish about 20 years ago, and it never fails me. For me, the okra, corn, tomatoes, and onion are the mainstays, but you can mix up the lima beans with any variety of field pea. For the protein, I prefer smoked conecuh sausage, but you could sub bacon, pancetta, or cubed ham. Just make sure to add a little extra oil or butter for drier meats. Cooking the veggies in the residual sausage grease it something that really makes this dish.
This dish is pretty hardy, especially with the protein, so you can definitely eat it on its own. For a side dish, I like to serve alongside fried catfish, grilled shrimp or redfish; however, any protein will do!
Serves 4 on its own; Serves 6 as a side
Ingredients:
1 lb. okra (sliced into rounds)
4 ears corn (cut kernels from cob)
1 lb. lima beans, or any field pea (fresh or frozen)
1 Vidalia (or other sweet) onion, chopped
1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 - 1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into rounds, and then half-moons.
1-2 T. butter
salt & pepper
chopped basil
Instructions
Cook beans according to package directions for frozen. For fresh, put in a pot, cover with water and cook about 8 minutes. You may need to skim the foam at the top, if cooking fresh. When finished cooking, rinse and drain under cold water.
While beans are cooking, brown your sausage over medium-hight heat in a large skillet. You will use this same skillet to cook the remainder of the dish. Remove meat, and drain on a paper towel.
To this same dish, add your onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and stir to combine. Add okra, salt & pepper. Cook for a 3-4 minutes.
Add butter, the corn and peas and cook until all vegetables are fork tender.
Remove from heat, stir in tomatoes, taste for more salt & pepper, and top with basil.
Serve immediately.
