This is a dish I can’t eat without Sylvester the cat’s voice in my head – “sufferin’ succotash”. All those years as a kid, watching Warner Bros cartoons, I had no idea what succotash was. When I discovered succotash, it was good – but, with chunks of bacon added it’s devilishly great!

History: Succotash comes from the Narragansett Indian “msickquatash” (try saying “sufferin’ msickquatash” and you’ll see why settlers changed the name). Mainly, it was boiled corn and beans. This cheap dish was popular during the Great Depression, but rather bland. Adding bacon takes it to a whole new level (everything’s better with bacon).

 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

6 oz (170g) slab bacon

1 onion, chopped

1 15oz can corn, rinsed & drained

1 15oz can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

 

1. Cut the bacon slab into ¼” (5mm) thick pieces.

2. In a frying pan over medium-low heat, stir fry the bacon for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned and grease has rendered out of the fat.

3. If you have very lean bacon and there is not much grease in the pan, add 1 tbsp of butter. Add the onion and stir fry 5 minutes.

4. Add the corn, kidney beans, pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes – until the corn and beans are heated.

This succotash tastes terrific both hot or cold. Eat it directly from the pan, or have it cold the next day.