This house sure is quiet. Â The girls are still in Connecticut and Mr. Picky is off at the batting cage for a little bit with his dad. Â I don’t think I’ve been alone in my house in a year. Â Or more. Â It’s sooooooooo nice. Â Don’t get me wrong. Â I adore my kids and my husband, but solitude is a precious luxury that I never get to indulge in. Â And silence. Â Just heaven. Â I find it funny that all this peace and quiet makes me hungry, so I give myself permission to make an early dinner for me and only me. Â It never happens that I only have my cravings to consider for dinner. Â I think being conscientious of many people’s likes and dislikes is a big challenge when planning meals for a family. Â But not tonight!
At yesterday’s farmer’s market I scooped up two of my summer favorites — corn and tomatoes. Â I was especially excited about the tomatoes since my plants won’t be producing fruit any time soon. Â Unfortunately, Manhattan Beach does not have tomato weather. Â The parsley and basil are doing beautifully in the garden, though and if I am lucky enough to have frozen shelled edamame in the freezer and turkey bacon in the fridge, corn and edamame succotash will be my dinner tonight.
Hooray! Â It’s all here! Â I secretly hope that my husband and Mr. Picky call me and ask if they can grab a bite out instead of home. Â I have visions of me and a giant bowl of corn and edamame succotash in front of the tv watching the new episode of “Million Dollar Decorators” without my husband doing Martyn Lawrence Bullard impressions so that I can’t hear what anyone is saying. Â Am I getting old that this is my idea of bliss tonight? Â Don’t care. Â I’ve got succotash to make.
I taught this recipe in my classes last August and I got great feedback, although people admitted they were skeptical of eating something called “succotash.” Â True, not a very sexy name, but succotash really just means a few sauteed vegetables usually mixed with corn and lima beans. Â I had found a recipe from an old Gourmet Magazine (sniffle) and changed it up a bit to suit my family, and I just love it. Â Since my kids are crazy for edamame, I always have bags of it in the freezer. Â That was a natural sub for the lima beans. Â It makes such a nice side dish for a weeknight family dinner or for entertaining in the summer, or a main dish since it is loaded with protein. Â It’s so tasty, as well as colorful, nutritious, and quick to put together, especially if your kids shuck the corn for you. Â Even by myself, I pulled this together very quickly. Â You definitely don’t need to use turkey bacon in this if you are vegetarian or just don’t like it, but I would compensate with a pinch of salt. Â As I sat there on the couch, by myself, eating this gorgeous succotash, I was able to concentrate on the food and really enjoy it. Â I couldn’t help but think how much I loved the crunch of the corn and edamame and the sweetness from the tomatoes. Â Couple more bites. Â The apple cider vinegar adds great tang and the smoky, salty flavor from the turkey bacon is perfectly complementary. Â Â Another few bites. Â I can’t believe there’s no salt. Â Yes, the edamame were cooked in salted water and the bacon has salt, but there’s no added salt and I don’t miss it. Â A few more bites. Â This is supposed to serve 6-8? Â Is that a typo? Â I’m halfway done with the bowl, but I keep eating anyway.
“Hi Mom! Â We’re home!” Â Well, it was nice while it lasted. Â Mr. Picky asks for some succotash. Â “Hey, that looks good.” Â Really? Â Tonight is the night you decide not to be picky?
- 12 ounces frozen shelled edamame
- Kosher salt
- ¼ - ½ pound nitrate-free turkey bacon*(optional)
- 1 ½ tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ¾ lb cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 ears corn, kernels cut off cob
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed small fresh basil leaves or larger leaves chopped
- ¼ cup packed flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook edamame 5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Chop bacon. Add oil to a large skillet and cook bacon over medium heat until starting to crisp, 3-5 minutes. Add onion and sauté until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Don’t worry if the bottom of the pan is getting brown from the bacon. The acid from the vinegar and tomatoes will clean it up.
- Add tomatoes, corn and vinegar to the skillet. Cook, stirring until tomatoes begin to lose their shape. Stir in edamame. Remove skillet from heat and stir in herbs. Serve immediately.
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