Succotash Stew

Let's go back to the part that I was the weird kid who liked lima beans.  My mom used to serve the frozen succotash once in a while, and I generally liked it.  I don't remember ever making it myself since I've been an adult.  All this time, I'm sure I bought it at least once, but I couldn't pinpoint an exact meal.  Almost certainly not since I started this blog.

For those who don't know, succotash is a Native American dish of lima beans and kernel corn.  That's it.  Butter, salt and pepper make it more interesting, but that's essentially what it was originally.  It's a nutritionally complete vegan meal.

There are as many variations of this dish as there are cooks.  I was defrosting some shredded pork when I decided to make this, so that's what I'm putting in the stew this time.  Shredded chicken would be good in it, probably better than the pork.  To keep it vegan, dice up a turnip or potato to give it some heft.  I served it over some kale-heavy colcannon.  You could thin it out with extra broth into a soup, or have it with regular mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.  The awesome part is that if you're only opening cans or using freezer items, it takes ten minutes to make.

*1/2 C diced onion
1 Tb butter
*1 15 oz can lima beans or 2 C frozen
*1 15 oz can kernel corn or 2 C frozen
*2 C cooked, shredded meat of choice
*1/2 C chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, or to taste

1.  In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Drain and rinse the beans and corn, if using cans.  Add vegetables and broth to the pot and bring to a simmer.  If using potato instead of meat, add it now.

3.  Add meat after the pot comes to a simmer.  Stir everything together and taste, then add salt and pepper as needed.  Between the canned vegetables, margarine, and pork, I didn't add any salt.  I did add about half a teaspoon of pepper, which is way more than I put in anything.

4.  Bring back up to a simmer and serve, either by itself or over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.

Difficulty rating  π