Two Baguettes: Succotash

On one of the first evenings I spent with Fernando, my boyfriend, I had taken home a leftover loaf of sourdough bread from the restaurant I work at. The two of us sat on the counter top of the tiny kitchen in the house I was staying in at the time and ate slice after slice of the bread with olive oil and drank cold Peronis while we talked, getting to know each other. I remember him saying something along the lines of "If this wasn't one of our first dates I would eat this whole loaf." I also remember encouraging him to keep eating. This was almost four years ago and bread and butter (or olive oil) has continued to be the, forgive me, bread and butter of our relationship. There is always bread with our meals, usually Bread and Cie Seedy Sourdough Baguette, even if it means an extra trip to the store just for bread. Fernando is tall and strong and the kind of man who can eat bread endlessly without ever gaining a pound. He will literally eat an entire baguette, straight from the brown bag, before the meal hits the table, which necessitates purchasing two whole baguettes for two people per meal. I can't quite explain why but I absolutely, deliriously love this about him. Maybe its an analogy for his appetite for life, maybe its a testament to how, even in the first few days, we have such a deep level of comfort around each other we have never doubted that we are soul mates. We are relaxed with each other, we eat bread with abandon.

We have a routine for the several nights a week that we cook dinner together. Typically we've had some discussion as to what we'll be making and I pick up groceries and arrive home first. I'll usually pour myself a glass of wine or mix a cocktail, put a show on my laptop on the kitchen counter and start prepping the ingredients. Fernando will walk in the door, usually 20-30 minutes in, and give me a kiss, then grab the baguette from the counter and take a bite right off the end, then sit down to the news for about ten minutes while I continue cooking. After he's sat and decompressed for a bit he'll join me in the kitchen, tasting the dish and adding a pinch of salt here or a splash of wine there while taking bites of bread straight from the baguette. This routine has taken place hundreds of times over the years and makes my heart sing. I love it. It is my favorite place to be, with my favorite person, and it fills my soul and nourishes our relationship. There are a few dishes he takes the lead on- stir frys and tacos and such- and he's always happy to take the helm on the rare days I don't feel like cooking. Fernando's excellent palette and his intuition when it comes to food are some of my favorite things about him and are quite useful tools to have in the kitchen.

One of our go to weekday meals follows a simple formula. It consists of a fish, a grain, a vegetable and of course, a side of bread. Last night's meal was the perfect example. I made quinoa and pan seared scallops for myself and Alaskan cod for him and rounded off the meal with a succotash* based loosely on a dish I made for Fernando on one of our first dates. Succotash is one of my favorite spring and summer dishes; its fresh, versatile and packs a lot of beautiful flavor into a quick and easy side dish. Once you start with a base of corn you can add whatever is in your fridge or caught your eye at the market. I always aim for at least three colors- yellow from the corn, red from peppers or tomatoes, green from squash or legumes. You can season it however you want, with chilies or pancetta or a diced pineapple for acidity and sweetness. It comes together in 15 minutes or so and the modest ingredients make it an inexpensive side dish. Last night's version reflected the wave of new summer produce hitting the markets here in Southern California- I shelled a handful of peas, chopped some baby summer squash and added a Serrano for some heat, garnishing with julienned green and black basil from my garden. It was bright and beautiful and livened up the simple fish and quinoa. This recipe is simply a guide, the beauty of succotash is you can omit and substitute without fear- if you don't have fresh corn frozen would work just as well. Use the size of the corn kernel as a guide for your dice of the vegetables- you want everything roughly the same size for even cooking. Taste as you go and season accordingly and embrace the freedom of adjusting the proportions as you see fit. The leftovers hold up well for a couple of days and make a great breakfast with an egg on top or an easy meal together with some black beans and hot sauce.

Succotash
serves two, with leftovers

4 ears of Corn
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 Serrano (or jalapeno, depending on preference), sliced into thin rounds
1/2 cup fresh English Peas
1/2 cup baby summer squash, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
butter or oil for sautéing
1/4 cup dry white wine (last night I poured in sparkling rose straight from my glass)
small handful of fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, chives- whatever you prefer) julienned
1/4 lemon
salt, pepper and chili to taste

Begin by shucking the corn. Rub the ears with oil and season generously with salt and pepper before placing on a hot grill. Allow the corn to char beautifully and evenly, rotating it on the grill. You can just as easily skip this step and add the kernels directly into the pan, but the char adds another layer of flavor. Meanwhile add the onion and garlic into a hot sauté pan and let them sweat together until they are translucent and fragrant. After you've allowed the charred ears of corn to cool slice the kernels from the ear, I find the easiest way to do this is to lay the ear down horizontally and with a good chef's knife held parallel to slice downwards on two or three rows of corn. This creates a flat and stable surface and you can easily rotate the corn and continue, minimizing the kernel's eagerness to fly all over your kitchen. Toss the corn into the pan and season with more salt and pepper and a dash of chili. Immediately add the Serrano, peas, squash and tomatoes, toss together and cook until they have just grown tender, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat on to high and deglaze the plan with wine, allowing the liquid to cook off almost completely. Taste and adjust seasonings, then turn off the heat and squeeze a large wedge of lemon over the top. Pour the succotash into a serving dish and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve hot or allow to cool to room temperature, it does beautifully either way.

 

 

* If you are from the South and object to this dish being called Succotash because it does not have lima beans in it, or because your sweet old Grandmother didn't make it, or because I put a Serrano in it and suggested adding pineapple or pancetta, that is totally fine. I get it, ya'll- Southerners are prideful and they know their food and take great pride in traditional cooking. If it eases your mind you can rename this recipe "Summer Corn Sauté". Bless your little hearts.