Butternut Succotash With Hominy Ham Recipes

SUCCOTASH WITH HOMINY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
• Open up the tops of each ear of corn to expose the silks. Chop off and discard the top of each ear, removing most of the silks. Drop the corn into enough cold water to cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Drain. Reshape the husks and wrap them, two by two, in aluminum foil. Arrange them on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 15 minutes.
• Shuck the corn, discarding any silks that remain. Cut way the kernels, and set aside.
• Heat the butter in a casserole, and add the onions and peppers. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the hominy. If fresh beans and peas are used, add them, and cook until tender. If frozen beans and peas are used, run them under the hot water until defrosted. Drain, and add them to the casserole. Add the corn, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute, and stir in the chives, and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH HOMINY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large wide pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the squash, 2 teaspoons cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the squash is well coated, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Put the chipotle and adobo sauce in a blender with 1/2 cup corn and 2 cups water; blend until smooth. Transfer the chipotle puree to the pot, along with 4 cups water, the hominy and black beans. Cover, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Uncover, adjust the heat to maintain a fast simmer and cook until the squash is tender and the soup has thickened slightly, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, thin the sour cream with 2 to 3 teaspoons water. Thinly slice the radishes for topping.
• Remove the soup from the heat and add the remaining 3/4 cup corn, the arugula and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Stir just to heat the corn and wilt the arugula; season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls; drizzle with the sour cream and top with the radishes.

AUTUMN SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• Combine the squash, kale, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup water in a large nonstick skillet; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer until the squash is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water is evaporated and the squash is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat 3 tablespoons butter in the same skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and hominy and cook, stirring once, until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium high, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the squash mixture.
• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion, bell pepper, chile pepper, garlic, thyme and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the corn and season with salt and pepper; cook, tossing, until the corn is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the squash mixture to the skillet and toss. Transfer to a serving dish.

COUNTRY HAM AND HOMINY HASH

Steps:

• Place the ham in a pot with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Cover with water and simmer for about 1 hour, until the ham is fork-tender (see Know-how, page 172). Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are just beginning to get tender. Strain the ham and potatoes from the pot, reserving about 1/4 cup of the liquid, removing and discarding the bay leaf, and set aside.
• Using two forks, shred the ham into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the potatoes, hominy, and onion. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Country ham is salty, so be sure to taste before adding any extra salt.)
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the ham-potato mixture and spread into a flat cake. Cover with a splatter screen or lid and cook until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and re-form the cake. Cover and cook, adding a little more oil if needed, until crispy on the other side. Remove from the heat and cover.
• Fill a large skillet with water about 2 inches deep and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar and salt and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Add the eggs one at a time and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites set and a thin, translucent film forms over the yolks (see Know-how, page 86). Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the eggs to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Divide the hash evenly between individual serving plates, place 1 or 2 eggs on top of each, and serve hot.
• For a more rustic interpretation of this dish, make a hole in the hash, crack the eggs in the hole, and cover to fry, rather than poach, to your liking. For a sweet-and-savory combination, substitute sweet potatoes for the russets, and for a crispy finish, scatter fried oysters on top. Or, make a cheesy variation by layering the hash mixture with Gruyère cheese in a skillet to form one large cake and sauté until brown and crispy. Slide the cake out of the skillet and cut into 4 to 6 wedges, then assemble the dish as for the main recipe.
• Hominy is the name for corn kernels that have been hulled to remove the bran and germ. Lye hominy is hulled by soaking the corn kernels in a weak lye solution-a very traditional, centuries-old Native American method-and pearl hominy is hulled mechanically. It is then dried and either ground to make our beloved hominy grits or boiled whole to make what New Orleansians call "big hominy." You can buy hominy canned, meaning precooked, or dried, in which case it will need to be presoaked and boiled in the same manner as dried beans.

SUCCOTASH WITH SMOKED HAM AND HERBS

Steps:

• Cook lima beans in microwave as directed on package; drain.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook ham in butter 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add bell pepper and shallots; cook 3 minutes or just until tender.
• Add lima beans, corn, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and cream is slightly thickened. Stir in chives, parsley and tarragon.

SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lima beans and salt, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan heat tomatoes, sugar and remaining 1/2 cup butter. Cook until tomatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes into lima beans and add corn; cook 10 minutes more.

BUTTERNUT SUCCOTASH WITH HOMINY & HAM

Steps:

• Cooking Directions In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat oil over the medium heat, add country ham and cook until lightly browned. Add onion, pepper and celery; cook over medium heat until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, pepper and bay leaf; cook one minute. Stir in lima beans and butternut squash; add chicken stock ( or water) just until fluid. Bring to a simmer and cook until butternut dice are just tender. Remove from heat and reserve. While limas are cooking, combine hominy and cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until cream is reduced and thickened. Stir into limas, season liberally and stir in herbs. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole. (May be prepared ahead to this point.) Preheat oven to 350. Combine breadcrumbs and melted butter in a bowl and sprinkle on top of succotash. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot. Recipe copyright ©1999 Ben Barker.