GRILLED CORN SUCCOTASH
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 pounds fresh fava, lima or cranberry beans (shelled)
12 ears sweet corn
6 to 8 large ripe, juicy tomatoes (chopped)
2 large, very sweet onions
Unsalted butter
Coarse salt
Peppermill
Instructions:
The beans can be cooked in advance or can be started 2 hours before serving.
Cover the beans by 1 inch with water and bring to a boil. Turn down the
heat, partially cover the pot and simmer the beans for about an hour.
Cooking time will very depending on the size, age and freshness of the beans.
They should be soft and creamy but still separate and intact.
There should
be at least a cup of juice left in the pot when the beans are cooked; watch
carefully to see they don't burn and add more water if necessary. You can
cook the beans a few hours in advance and reheat them gently in their juice.
Heat the grill for the corn. Dice the onions and put them on the table in a
bowl. P
ut a bowl of tomatoes and a couple of dishes of butter on the table
and make sure that some coarse salt is within everybody's easy reach. Each
person should have a large soup bowl, a soup spoon and several napkins.
Just before serving, grill the corn. As soon as it is brown, put it on a
platter and cover it with a clean towel to keep it hot. Put the hot beans
into a serving bowl.
To prepare your own serving, put a large spoonful of beans and juice in your
soup bowl. Next, stand an ear of corn on end in the bowl and cut the kernels
into the bowl. Add a large piece of butter and some tomato. Sprinkle on
plenty of chopped onion, salt and pepper and gently mix everything together.
The first spoonful will taste heavenly, the next, sublime; then you will
notice that you need a little more tomato or another dab of beans. The
readjustment of ingredients continues as long as they last; then you can look
forward to continuing the search for the perfect formula next time you have
succotash.
Waldy Malouf
Chef/Co-Owner
Beacon Restaurant, NY & CT
