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Monday, October 21, 2013
Do We Like Lima Beans?
Maybe. The first batch of our first lima beans that I cooked needed some whiz. They were okay, but needed more flavor. Frank calls them butter beans. The thing that was interesting and kind of weird about these was the red and white mottled color. They just didn't look quite like lima beans, even though they were beautiful.
I started them off in this pan with some salt, pepper and a little sausage grease for flavor. I soon found out that this pan just wasn't big enough.
So I changed pans, and put them in my small cast iron pot. It's great. I let them cook until they were soft.
We decided to have them like a bowl of pinto beans. But after Frank looked at the color of the broth, he said, "I'm not eating that broth, it looks like dirt." I decided I'd better fix some bread to go with them, so he wouldn't go hungry.
Well, they were okay. They were also very soft. I didn't need to cook them as long as I did, but these are the first fresh lima beans I have ever cooked. They needed more flavor - salt, bacon, something. The bread and butter was good.
And we were so lucky to have leftovers! Hmmm..... what did I
do with them this time? Not much. We had some bacon we needed to cook,
so we had beans and bacon. Not very appetizing, huh?
Well, we still haven't decided if we like these or not. I think they would be a good addition to a stew or soup, but not as a meal or a side dish. Frank would rather have the regular green or white beans instead of the red and white mottled ones. And I thought they were just too big. I am used to a much smaller bean, like a pinto.
So, do we like lima beans? The verdict is still out on that subject. If the freezing weather holds off long enough, we should get another picking. I will have to experiment some more and try a different way to cook them. If this is basically how they will cook up and taste then I would rather spend my time and effort on something that I know we will enjoy that still provides similar nutritional value to our diets. It's a good thing to know. On to the next learning experience. I just hope it tastes better than this one! Until next time - Fern
Cook them just until tender. Drain the liquid off. Fry some diced bacon, then saute chopped onion in a little of the bacon grease. Mix the bacon and onions with the drained beans. Don't forget to taste for salt and pepper.
You could also try making a kind of succotash - just-tender limas, cut corn, sauteed onion. Some people add diced fresh tomato or diced cooked (sauteed with the onion, slowly) carrot.
My mother made excellent lima beans, but of course I didn't pay much attention at the time. Hmm, dry white limas, bacon grease, lots of salt. When we lived in Greece we ate a lot of what they called "elephant beans" which were simply large white limas. They added tomato juice to the dish, onions, maybe some celery or something. It too was very good. Hubby doesn't care for either one so I haven't made them in years, but I sure miss them. ~ Kathi
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Cook them just until tender. Drain the liquid off. Fry some diced bacon, then saute chopped onion in a little of the bacon grease. Mix the bacon and onions with the drained beans. Don't forget to taste for salt and pepper.
ReplyDeleteYou could also try making a kind of succotash - just-tender limas, cut corn, sauteed onion. Some people add diced fresh tomato or diced cooked (sauteed with the onion, slowly) carrot.
Thanks for the ideas! We will try something like this next time.
DeleteFern
I'm with you on the lima beans. I don't like them either. I think they taste like cooked paste.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog.
Just Me
That is funny! I'm glad you enjoy the blog.
DeleteFern
My mother made excellent lima beans, but of course I didn't pay much attention at the time. Hmm, dry white limas, bacon grease, lots of salt. When we lived in Greece we ate a lot of what they called "elephant beans" which were simply large white limas. They added tomato juice to the dish, onions, maybe some celery or something. It too was very good. Hubby doesn't care for either one so I haven't made them in years, but I sure miss them.
ReplyDelete~ Kathi