GOOD TASTE




By Jan Walsh Photos by Robin Colter
No Suffer Succotash Terrace Café’s Jason Mezrano creates a succotash for good times and bad. By Jan Walsh Photos by Robin Colter Succotash is a method of preparing vegetables that gained popularity during the Great Depression. In the American South, succotash is any mixture of vegetables prepared with lima beans and topped with lard or butter.

But one does not have to suffer from an economic downturn to enjoy the executive chef of Terrace Cafe Jason Mezrano’s succotash, made with the freshest of southern vegetables.

“I grew up with succotash. And there are hundreds of recipes and variations of recipes,” he says. “And although it calls for lima beans you can use any shelled peas instead or in addition to limas.” Mezrano uses both and tops it off with honey glazed grilled salmon. He shares his recipe and techniques.

Succotash ingredients:
2 cups Nueske’s Apple Smoked Bacon, small diced
2 cups yellow onions, peeled and small diced
1/2 cup chopped garlic
12 ears fresh corn, shaved off the cob
2 jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and small diced
3 cups fresh lima beans, par-cooked
4 cups fresh okra (cut into bite-size pieces)
5 fresh tomatoes, medium diced
1 quart chicken stock or broth
2 cans pureed tomatoes
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Succotash procedure:
1. Heat a large sauté pan, add olive oil, bacon, and cook for six to 10 minutes, until the bacon has become almost crisp.
2. Add the onions and garlic, cook for another five minutes.
3. Add the fresh corn and sauté for another five to six minutes, stirring mixture all together for even cooking.
4. Add the tomato puree and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the okra and lima beans and cook for about five minutes.
6. Add the chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Let all ingredients simmer for about 15 minutes then remove from heat.
8. Plate the succotash in center of plate and top with salmon. Serves five.

Salmon ingredients: 5-6 ounce portions fresh salmon (boneless portions)
1 cup olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Glaze ingredients:
3 cups clover honey
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
1.5 cup water

Procedure:
1. Heat grill to medium to high heat.
2. Season salmon with oil, salt and pepper.
3. Grill evenly on both sides for eight to 10 minutes for medium temperature.
4. Cook salmon for 12 to 15 minutes for well done. Brush glaze on top side of salmon before serving the dish.
5. In a medium saucepan, add all of the glaze items together and bring to a low boil while stirring the mixture.
6. Reduce the liquid to about two cups. It should be a tight sauce. 7. Brush on salmon while still warm.
January Birmingham, Alabama

  

 
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