Suffering Succotash

While we're all suffering the effects of SARS-CoV-2—and I should add that I truly hope you're suffering less than the worst, but I offer sincere compassion for all—I have still been cooking. I started the year with plans for more regular updates here but, yeah... COVID. The biggest change for my cooking is having to limit trips for ingredients, and thus doing meal plans and often making do with what I have. It's become a cheater version of Chopped: Quarantine Edition.

Southern Succotash

"Succotash" comes from a Narragansett word, sohquttahhash or msíckquatash, referring to corn kernels as boiled or broken, and the dish usually includes corn and lima beans. What I made here is a markedly Southern version which incorporates plenty of butter and bacon, plus seasonal homegrown okra, tomatoes, and basil, and I cooked it in that old cast iron skillet I cleaned up from Mississippi.

My mother and I have been (safely and responsibly) sharing ingredients and shopping trips, and we both planted a handful of vegetables and fruits in our yards as well. Her thumb is much greener than mine, but we've both still enjoyed some fresh produce and her okra has been producing very well. So we've been doing a slew of okra dishes with shared ingredients, hence Southern succotash. This wasn't quite the most adventurous so far, but it was super yummy and made for a very pretty picture!