Summer Succotash with Chicken & Avocado

Helga Glaesel de BlandingJune 28, 2013

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

It’s not succotash if it doesn’t have lima beans and corn in it! I get curious about food and about certain dishes’ history, so I browsed around and learned that succotash was first prepared by Native Americans and it is now a dish that is mostly popular in the South and New England. For me, it turned out to be a convenient and delicious new way to prepare vegetables at home. Plus, I can’t remember the last time I had lima beans, and I love them!

Actually, it had been so long since I had lima beans, that I hadn’t actually cooked them myself. In Guatemala we don’t usually use frozen produce or fruit, so if you want lima beans, you cook them yourself. I learned the hard way that you have to peel them first, before cooking them. That wasn’t so much fun. I went online to find a procedure to cook lima beans and all websites said the same thing. It said to soak them overnight, then cook them for about 45 mintues. So I did. Then, I realized…they didn’t look green. Wait, what about peeling them!? I opened one, and there it was… green mush inside. It was too late. Sufferin’ Succotash, indeed.

Cooking Lima Beans: Take 2. Thankfully, Mariano was on his way home and was able to run to the store and get me some more. Sandra, who comes over a couple of times a week to help me with the cleaning, was there that day. She just laughed and told me you have to peel them before cooking them, and that once they are peeled, they take about 5 minutes to cook. Grrrr! So, here’s my note on cooking lima beans at home, for those of us who can’t find frozen ones:

First, peel them and then drop them into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. They will be soft, but still firm enough to keep their shape.

I do hope you try this recipe, it’s definitely worth it!

Helga

Summer Succotash with Chicken & Avocado

Recipe from Everyday Food
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 small zucchini, diced medium
2 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears)
2 cups lima beans (1 lb)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced.
1 avocado, halved pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
3 ounces farmer cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

Procedure:

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened slightly, 4 minutes. Add corn and lima beans and cook until corn is cooked through and lima beans are softened, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add chicken and cook until warmed through, 2 minutes. Divide among four plates.
Top with avocado and cheese and serve with tomatoes.