Southern Summer Succotash

For those of us who grew up watching the Looney Tunes, we remember hearing Sylvester utter the words “Sufferin’ succotash!” after every failed attempt to capture Tweety. But what exactly is succotash?

Succotash is essentially a sauté of corn with other seasonal vegetables and has become a symbol of the bounty of summer crops, especially in areas of the South. High summer temperatures mean that it’s prime time for many delicious vegetables such as sweet corn, summer squash, peppers, fresh shell beans and tomatoes. Succotash has adopted regional forms depending on the crops in quantity in a particular area. Such a dish became very popular during the Great Depression due to its simplicity and versatility.

Succotash traces back to the Native Americans, who taught colonists how to prepare a dish consisting of corn, shell beans and other vegetables, which combined to form a complete protein source for sustenance. The use of lima beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers and pieces of cured meat became popular additions in the 1800s. Here is an authentic recipe from the Ladies’ Aid Society of the First Presbyterian Church in Ohio. The recipe was published in 1894 and is titled “New England Succotash.”

Take two quarts shelled Lima beans (green), one dozen ears of corn (cut off cob), and one pound pickled pork. Cover pork with water, and parboil it; add beans, cook until they burst; then add corn, two tablespoonfuls sugar, butter the size of a walnut, and pepper to taste. After corn is added, watch carefully to keep from scorching.

I think that one of the best ways to showcase fresh summer vegetables, at the height of their season, is to saute them all together into a succotash. Given the dish’s popularity in the South, I wanted to honor tradition and attempt to make a true succotash dish, accented with bacon and topped lightly with butter, just enough to make the vegetable dish a satisfying, complete meal. I also provide my recipe for buttermilk biscuits because after all, all comfort-style meals should be accompanied with warm, home-baked flaky biscuits.

Summer Succotash

Serves 4.

Really, any summer vegetable or fresh shell bean would work in this versatile dish. I used baby pattypan squash and small gypsy peppers, which are delicious and make for a pretty presentation. Fresh basil leaves are a nice accompaniment, but feel free to experiment with other summer herbs.

2 thick slices of good-quality bacon

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ pound summer squash, diced or sliced into rounds

2 cups fresh or frozen fava beans, lima beans or edamame (if fresh, blanch until just tender, 5 minutes)

½ cup diced red or yellow peppers

3 ears fresh corn, shucked and kernels cut off

½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then finely chop. Drain off all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat from the skillet.

2.Return the skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add summer squash, beans and peppers; cook, stirring gently, until the vegetables are just tender. Add corn and cherry tomatoes; cook 2-3 minutes longer.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the butter and basil. Top with reserved bacon. Serve immediately with warm buttermilk biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes about 4 biscuits.

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture looks like coarse meal.

3. Make a well in the center and gradually pour in buttermilk, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined.

4. Transfer dough to a floured surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Lightly knead, then pat into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds (or another shape) and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Gather any dough scraps and cut more rounds.

5. Bake the biscuits for 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown.

The history of corn

Corn or maize boasts a rich history in our culture thanks to the Mesoamericans, who domesticated the plant in central Mexico more than 7,000 years ago. Today’s corn looked very different from the early plant, teosinte, a wild grass with tiny single rowed cobs. Over thousands of years, the crop evolved and varieties were selected for desired traits. It became a stable in the diets of most cultures in North and South America.

It is unknown what led to its widespread domestication, because the variety available at the time had kernels that were too small and hard to be eaten off the cob. Early corn eaters developed a process known as nixtamalization, which transforms the thick, hull-encased kernels to dense, chewy kernels that can be used for a variety of food preparations. The kernels are cooked in alkaline water (made with lime or wood ash) until the hulls can be rubbed off, allowing the corn to expand when cooked (the product is known as hominy). The Native Americans traditionally used a wooden mortar and pestle to grind the soft kernels into a coarse meal, which could then be used to make soups, puddings and breads. Colonists in America quickly learned from the Native Americans about corn agriculture and corn became an important food source.

In Mexico, hominy kernels add a chewy texture to many traditional Mexican soups and stews. It can also be easily formed into a dough to make fresh masa. When fresh masa is dried and ground into a very fine flour it is known as masa harina. Masa is used to make the delicious corn tortillas and tamales of Mexico, as well as to thicken one of my all-time favorite sauces, mole!

The type of corn used to make hominy is known as dent corn or field corn. In the United States, this corn is grown in abundance for animal feed. (FYI: this defies many laws of nature, altering the diets of animals that were not designed to feed exclusively on corn. The results are nutritionally inferior animal products and less healthy/happy animals). Popcorn is another type of corn that is grown for you guessed it...popcorn. Sweet corn is the popular vegetable that we all enjoy during the late summer and fall months.

An important note about nixtamalization: what is most extraordinary about the process is that it affects the protein structure of the corn so that the corn’s bound niacin is released into a free form that can be readily absorbed. This essential amino acid is important to prevent pellagra. Had the corn been processed by methods other than nixtamalization, niacin deficiency would have weakened many populations. This affirms my belief that traditional ways of eating are almost always best. Through a long process of trial and error, regional diets and food traditions evolved to sustain populations optimally. In the words of one of my favorite authors, Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma):

“I’m inclined to think any traditional diet will do; if it wasn’t a healthy regimen, the diet and the people who followed it wouldn’t still be around”

Someday, I would like to try and make my own hominy by soaking the kernels in lime water and washing off the hulls, but canned or dried hominy is convenient and a fine substitute. Here is a simple and healthy recipe I came up with using the traditional flavors of Mexican posole.


Posole Verde
Green Hominy Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
½ large bunch coarsely chopped Swiss chard (greens and stems)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 (29-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For garnish:
Sliced avocado
Shredded green cabbage
Chopped cilantro
Chopped white onion
Sliced radishes
Lime wedges

Corn tortillas

Heat oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and Swiss chard; sauté until onion is translucent and chard is wilted, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and chile powder; stir 1 minute.

Stir in broth and hominy; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 25 minutes. Stir in oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into large soup bowls. Serve with plenty of garnish and warm tortillas.