Succotash

You’ve heard of it. And now you have the recipe! 

Succotash is a nutritious, colorful, meatless dish - especially in this difficult time of sky-high food prices and ever-more scarcity. A little goes a long way with economical Succotash - especially with a chunk of homemade bread. 

Hands up, those of you who remember a cartooned Sylvester the car complaining about giving up his regular diet of birds and living on (you guessed it) Thuffrin’ Thuccotash! If you don’t have this or that in the kitchen cupboard, try that or this. So here’s your starting point. Whether you add your own favorites or keep it as is, this recipe is infinitely flexible and enjoyable.

Succotash:

1 tbsp. (15 mL) olive oil

1 tbsp. (15 mL) butter or margarine

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1/2 c. (125 mL) each red and green bell peppers, seeded and diced into 1/2 in. (1.3 cm) pieces

1 celery stalk, sliced lengthwise into half or thirds and then into 2-in. (5 cm) pieces

3 green onions, sliced into 1/2 in. (1.3 cm) pieces

1 c. (250 mL) canned corn niblets, drained, or fresh, pre-cooked corn, sliced from the cob

1/2 c. (125 mL) canned pinto beans or black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed several times and drained well

Canned, sliced, drained jalapeño peppers (optional), to taste

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) cayenne powder, or to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Handful of fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced into thirds

1 tbsp. (15 mL) fresh lemon or lime juice

2 c. (500 mL) fresh cilantro, stemmed and coarsely chopped

Sour cream (optional)

Have all ingredients prepared and arrayed in advance. In large cast iron skillet on medium heat, combine oil, butter, garlic, bell peppers, celery, and green onion, stirring until slightly softened. Add corn and beans, combining well and heating through, about 5 min. 

Stir in jalapeños and seasonings, as desired (It’s these ingredients that give this dish its traditional “kick,” so consider reducing, rather than omitting them).

Toss in cherry tomatoes, stirring just until heated through, about a minute. Sprinkle with juice and toss with cilantro. Serve at once, directly from the skillet.

 

Note: While the prep time for this low-fat, high-fiber recipe is long, its cooking time is short. I sometimes prepare the ingredients in the morning, serving it as a salad with a light vinaigrette. If I’ve been a little too heavy-handed with the jalapeño peppers, sour cream cools it down nicely. As an outstanding dish for a dinner party, a buffet, or a family get-together, I serve it often.