Southern Veggies: Plantation String Beans/ Creole Corn and Tomatoes 🌞 [View all]

New-Cut Plantation String Beans



MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This lovely recipe was first printed in the Charleston Junior League’s now
classic Charleston Receipts (1950). There is a bit of that notorious bacon
here, yes, but the treatment the beans get is light and fresh—and delicious.

1 pound young “stringless” green beans or haricots verts
4 slices thick-cut bacon
6 small green onions, washed and thinly sliced
Salt and whole black pepper in a mill

1. Wash the beans in several changes of water and snap off the stem ends
but leave them whole.

2. Put the bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed lidded skillet that will hold the
beans in one layer. Over medium heat (uncovered), fry, turning frequently
until it’s crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and drain it on
absorbent paper.

3. Add the onions to the pan and stir until they are just wilted. Add the
beans and toss until they are glossy. Cook for 1 minute, then add a large
pinch of salt and ¼ cup of water. Tightly cover and steam for 3 minutes.
Uncover and cook until the moisture is evaporated and the beans are just
tender, about 2–3 minutes more. Turn off the heat, taste, adjust the salt, and
add a few grindings of pepper. Transfer to a warm serving plate and
crumble the bacon over the top. Serve at once.

from "Beans, Greens and Sweet Georgia Peaches"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18341846-beans-greens-sweet-georgia-peaches

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Creole Corn and Tomatoes




SERVES 4

Here’s another traditional Southern favorite that takes full advantage of the
full-blown summer flavors of vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh-picked corn.

2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, scalded, peeled, and seeded chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3–6 ears fresh sweet corn (see step 2)
Salt, ground cayenne, and whole black pepper in a mill

1. Put the fat and onion in a large, deep cast-iron skillet or sauté pan and
sauté over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the onion is translucent
but not colored, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, and bay
leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, shuck the corn and rub away the silk with a vegetable brush.
Cut 2 cups of kernels from the cob as close to the cob as possible. Stir the
corn into the tomatoes, add a healthy pinch of salt, a small one of cayenne,
and a few grindings of black pepper. Let it come back to a simmer, cover,
and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the
corn is tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Uncover, raise the heat to medium, and cook until thick, about 5 minutes more.
Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf, taste and correct the
seasonings, and serve hot.

Note: The smoky flavor of the bacon fat is essential to the character of this
dish, but if you are unable to use it, butter or corn oil would still make a
reasonably good dish, though it will by no means taste the same. I would
use sage instead of thyme, add a minced clove of garlic, and let the onion
brown a little to compensate for the absence of the bacon flavor.

from "Beans, Greens and Sweet Georgia Peaches"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18341846-beans-greens-sweet-georgia-peaches

MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm Bacon!