CSA week 7: Succotash

There wasn't much cooking going on this week, as I cleaned out my fridge in the aftermath of a multi-day power outage.

After cooking dinner for friends one night, I had several ears of corn left over. This made me think of a delicious succotash I had once, made with fresh lima beans.

Limas can be pretty starchy, and I don't think much of them when they've been frozen. The fresh beans are a different matter. I sauteed chopped onion in olive oil, then added lightly steamed lima beans, minced garlic, the corn, and some farmstand tomatoes.

I modeled my succotash on this recipe from Epicurous. Topping the vegetables with slivered fresh basil was a nice touch. It made for a fresh-tasting side dish with grilled chicken and shrimp.

Not-so-fun fact: raw lima beans can be toxic! Lima beans are one of many plants that protect themselves from herbivores by storing a naturally occurring form of cyanide. Cooking the bean destroys the toxin.