Italian Succotash

Italian Succotash ~ The classic Native American dish given an Italian make over with sausage, tomatoes and herbs, no more soggy lima beans here.Have you had succotash?  If so, was it with rubbery lima beans and soggy corn? I’m sorry if that has been your experience.  I’ve had plenty of it like that.  But that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.  The corn should be plumb and juicy.  The lima beans should be tender and buttery.

Succotash is not an Italian dish; it is a Native American dish.  But my inability to leave well enough alone means I had to play with it.  I was talking to the butcher at the market about some ground chicken when these sausages caught my eye.  They were labeled “Tuscan Red Wine.” With a name like that, it was pure compulsion to buy them.  My problem was what was I going to use them in? I brought them home (after purchasing them, of course) and while I was putting them in the icebox, I realized they would be great in the succotash I was planning on making.  I would simply have to pull the casings off, brown them, then continue on with my succotash.  Excitement overtook me and I was eager to get started.The sausage was just an amazing enhancement to this dish.  If you cannot find a Tuscan Red Wine sausage, I am willing to stake my reputation on the line that either sweet or spicy Italian sausage would be fantastic as a substitute.

This makes a wonderful side dish, but honestly, it would work well as your entire dinner. Or at least it would for me. It warms up nicely should you have any leftover. Double the recipe and serve it at your next outdoor gathering; your guests will be so happy you did.