Summerin' Succotash!

Summerin' Succotash

Huzzah, it's corn season! This year, we even tried to grow our own, and while we have a few very small ears, they certainly aren't ready for harvesting. Around here, the typical corn varieties we find are Butter and Sugar (alternating kernels of sunflower-yellow and butter colors), and Silver Queen (white-blonde kernels). We love them both and eat as much as we can from late July until the end of September when our local farmstands abound with ears.

A Couple in the Kitchen's own corn patch and Thai pepper plant

Straight off the cob is the perfect way to eat corn, in our estimation. But now and again we buy or cook too many ears and like to experiment with the leftovers. Some recent market finds mingled with our own garden veggies in our latest favorite side dish - succotash. 

Fresh mise en place for Summerin' Succotash

The recipe is simple and the result, summery fresh goodness. From the farmers' market, we shelled whole lima beans and sawed the corn off of two freshly shucked ears. From our own garden, we dug up a couple of shallots, shredded a few basil leaves, and chopped two tiny Thai hot peppers (love how they grow end-up!). We ran across the street and "borrowed" a beautiful red tomato from our neighbor which we diced. A little bacon grease leftover from that morning's breakfast, some time over medium heat, and a dash of seasoning and we had a side dish worthy of the season, perfectly paired with smoked pork chops.

Cooking process - so easy!

Substitution tips: You can use olive oil instead of bacon grease to keep it meat-free. If you can't find fresh lima beans, use about a cup's worth of frozen. Jalapeno would work instead of the Thai pepper as well.

Summerin' Succotash

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon bacon grease

2 shallots, peeled and sliced

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 ears corn, shucked, kernels removed

1 quart fresh lima beans, shelled (yielding about a cup) 

1 large tomato, diced

2 Thai peppers, finely diced

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

13-15 basil leaves, shredded

Heat the bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic powder and cook until they start to soften, about two minutes. Stir in the corn and beans and allow to cook until they are warmed through, about five minutes. Add the tomato and peppers and cook another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the cider vinegar. Remove from heat and toss in the basil leaves. Serve warm.

Grilled, smoked pork chop and "summerin' succotash"

A Taste of Summer for Secret Recipe Club

This weekend we got our first glimpse of summer after a long, cold winter and a rainy, cool spring. Yes, this weekend it was warm and sunny, with highs in the mid-70s, puffy-white clouds and a beautiful breeze. As our friend J commented with a contented sigh, "This is San Diego weather." Indeed. Perfect for spending the evening on the front porch sipping a cocktail and enjoying a pre-dinner snack.

And it also happens to be Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! As luck had it, this month we were assigned the blog Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom by Jamie, where we found some great recipe ideas for dinner, desserts, and breakfasts/sides/snacks. We were tempted to make "Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta," or "Blackberry and Cream Cheese Mini-Turnovers" (and we still may!), but the porch swing beckoned, and we found the perfect pair of recipes to enjoy on it: Microwave Potato Chips and Brazilian Lime Cocktails. Our very own Taste of Summer, courtesy of Jamie! 

Jamie's "Microwave Potato Chips were salty and crunchy, and it was great knowing that they consisted of a mere three simple ingredients - potatoes, olive oil, and salt. We used Malted Vinegar Sea Salt for a little salt-n-vinegar chip flavor. And who would ever have thought to make homemade potato chips in the microwave? Jamie's recipe is brilliant, and perfect for an anytime snack. The Brazilian Lime Cocktail is one of several of Jamie's "Best Tropical Drinks." It's her version of a Caiporoska  - a Caipirinha made with vodka instead of Cachaca. It was tart and refreshing, and reminded us that summer is right around the corner. We added a topper of club soda to give it some fizz.

Microwave Potato Chips

minimally adapted from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

Ingredients:

2 cups 1/8-inch potato slices

olive oil

Malt Vinegar Sea Salt

Toss potato slices in olive oil. Drizzle additional olive oil on a large microwave-safe plate and arrange the potato slices on the plate in one layer without any overlap. Sprinkle with salt. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, flip, sprinkle again with salt, then microwave on high for an additional 3 minutes, until starting to brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels, and allow to cool slightly as they will become crispier as they cool. 

Brazilian Lime Cocktail

mimimally adapted from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

Ingredients (per cocktail):

1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 ounce vodka

ice

1 ounce club soda

Place lime wedges and sugar into a large glass and muddle limes with sugar to release juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add vodka and ice, stir and top with club soda. 

Check out other recipes from today's Reveal Day below, including our black beans (and her own) on From Brazil to You. 

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