Cream Corn and Lima Bean Succotash

I particularly like the Green Giant Simply Steamed lima beans, which are typically only available at an IGA grocery.  They are very small, very tender and green, and don’t usually suffer from the freezer burn you can find in the bagged frozen vegetables.  This recipe makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

2 boxes frozen baby lima beans

3 ears in-season corn on the cob, just picked if you can find it

2 strips bacon, diced

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbs unsalted butter

• In a medium saucepan, fry the bacon until it is crisp.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve.
• If you want to remove the bacon fat from the pan, you can discard it, but I don’t.  Don’t wash out the pan.  Fill the pan with water and bring it to a boil.
• Drop the lima beans (remove them from the steamer bag if they came in one), into the water, and boil gently for 6-8 minutes, until they are tender.  Drain and set aside.
• In the meantime, cut the kernels from the cobs into a bowl, using a small, sharp utility knife, and as deep a bowl as you have.   Trust me on this, it will save you a big mess.  Using the largest holes on a box grater, run the cobs over the holes until there is no more “milk” from the cobs remaining.  Reserve all of this corn and milk.
• In the same saucepan, melt the butter.  Then add the cream and the grated corn and milk and allow to thicken and reduce slightly.
• Add the beans and heat through, stirring to incorporate them into the creamed corn.  (It’s not really necessary to cook or boil corn that is this fresh.)
• Serve with the reserved crumbled bacon on top.