Summer Succotash over Grilled Jalapeno Polenta
A quick and easy summer succotash made from corn, fava beans, red pepper and zucchini. Served atop crisp, grilled jalapeno polenta squares with a fresh tomato puree. The perfect vegetarian meal for summer entertaining! Vegan & Gluten Free
We're in full-on summer mode over here: the garden is brimming with veggies, the patio furniture is out, and we've been enjoying plenty of outdoor meals with family and friends. Dinners recently have been all about advanced prep and limited on-the-spot 'kitchen action' – because when everyone is chilling on our patio, the last place I want to be is cooking indoors.
At the same time, cooking for others comes with slightly added pressure now. The food blog is no secret amongst our friends and I definitely don’t want to let people down. The challenge is to constantly come up with new, impressive meals that can satisfy our not-so-vegetarian friends and family… all while making it as easy as possible for the cook (ahem, me). The last situation I want on my hands is four kitchen burners going and me sweating up a storm, while trying to play hostess at the same time. Nope, not gonna happen.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 lb fresh fava bean pods (or 1 cup frozen fava beans)*
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, coconut)
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, de-seeded + chopped
- 3 cups corn kernels (3 cobs or frozen)
- 2 cups zucchini, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Juice from 1/2 - 1 lime (to taste)
- 1 cup baby tomatoes, sliced
- Grilled Jalapeno Polenta (recipe below)
- Fresh Tomato Puree (recipe below)
- Optional - Cilantro, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Remove fava beans from their pods. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and prepare a bowl of ice water. Once water is boiling, add beans and cook for 1-2 minutes (until slightly soft). Strain beans and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking process. Once beans are cool enough to handle, peel away the waxy coating on the beans. Set aside. Note: If using frozen fava beans, ignore this step.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Place onion in pan and cook for 3 minutes, until onion is soft. Add garlic and jalapeno and sauté for 1 minute. Add corn and cook for 2 minutes, then add in zucchini and red pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften (5-7 minutes). Add in the fava beans, salt, pepper and lime juice. Stir to mix, the cook for another 1-2 minutes before removing from the heat.
Full Recipes>>Summer Succotash over Grilled Jalapeno Polenta