OYSTER AND BACON SUCCOTASH
About the Recipe
Succotash is a Narragansett-derived word for a veggie staple adopted by early English settlers soon after their Plymouth Rock arrival. Though subjected to centuries of interpretation, the dish remains defined by the late-summer windfall of corn and beans (of any sort though most characteristically green and lima). Butter and bacon grease long ago replaced the original bear fat, but the historical inclusion of onions and squash remains popular to this day. Garlic, zucchini, tomatoes and bell peppers are now frequent additions as well.
Always a versatile side dish, more elaborate succotashes--such as the no-brainer surf-and-turf oyster and bacon version below--provide excellent starters as well. I love oysters, but this little stew is extraordinary even without creamy mollusks so delete them if you must. Alternatively, include clams, mussels, shrimp, lobster or crabmeat instead.
Researching for an article, I unearthed recipes quicker and more basic than my old standby--- equally good, just different. One-- from Chez Panisse Vegetables--- is so simple in fact that Alice Waters just calls it “Corn and Green Beans.” Feeling it unnecessary to give proportions, she tells us to combine boiled and drained green beans and corn kernels with butter, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Voila. I sometimes add garlic, onions and a bit of cream, but that’s just to show off.
Succotash can be tasty using leftover or frozen vegetables too, and some swear by it at Thanksgiving. For me, however, the dish is best in September when fresh, peak-of-the-season vegetables abound. This recipe is paradise on a plate as written but succotash is about handfuls rather than exact measurements. In some parts of the country, any mixed vegetable butter sauté is considered a succotash so don’t be afraid to improvise with garden surplus or green market specials.
Oyster and Bacon Succotash
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a starter, 6-8 as a side dish
3/4 pound double smoked bacon, thick-sliced and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
10 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 1/2 pounds fresh lima beans or 2 10-ounce boxes frozen lima beans. This is a case where fresh will not taste much different than frozen and is much easier
2 cups haricots verts or green beans, trimmed cut into 2-inch lengths
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, if needed
8 scallions including tops, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths
3 tablespoons heavy cream or more if needed
24 oysters with their liquid
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Tabasco sauce to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh Italian parsley, basil, and/or chives for garnish
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
METHOD
In a large sauté pan or skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat to render the fat. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon, blot on paper towels and reserve. The fat in the pan should measure 1/4 cup. If it doesn’t, add enough butter to make up the difference.
Meanwhile, blanch the lima beans—fresh or frozen--in boiling salted water till al dente, about 10 minutes for the fresh, about 2 or 3 minutes for the thawed. Remove with a slotted spoon, refresh in cold water. Pop off the skins if using fresh and set aside. Repeat in the same water with the haricots verts adding a little baking soda if desired to keep them green.
Sauté the corn in the bacon grease over medium heat, until just tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the lima beans and cook 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Add the scallions and the cream and simmer 5 minutes more. Add the haricots verts and and cook for 1 minute.
Add reserved lardons and the oysters with their liquor. If too dry, add a tablespoon or two more cream. Cook to warm the oysters through, 1-2 minutes. Off heat stir in the fresh herbs and tomatoes. Season to taste and serve.