Listen you weirdos, ‘Dragon Lingerie’ is a type of bean okay? It’s not lacy sleepwear for winged fire-breathing vixens….
Dragon Lingerie Succotash: Jay Jackson Photography
I wanted a colorful chunky pig roast side that would showcase all the late season summer veg still goin’ strong at Potrero Nuevo Farm including: dry farmed tomatoes, corn, padron peppers, and pole beans.
Although this is not a traditional succotash (tomatoes are rarely included, I’ve subbed padrons for bells, and there’s no cream/mayo sauce but a hot bacon vinaigrette instead) it’s my updated rendition of a normally terrible tasteless dish. Sorry – not tryin’ to offend here – I’m just not a Lima bean fan because they often taste mealy to me. And I hate canned corn.
My Husband showing me how to shuck corn. Ha! Jay Jackson Photography
A little history lesson: succotash (a mixture of lima beans, corn, and shell beans with bell peppers or tomatoes) was popular during the Great Depression and sometimes cooked with a pie crust on top. Obviously this would make a hearty comfort dish and provide protein and other beneficial nutrients on an extremely tight budget. I wonder if the cream base that is normally served with this dish as a cold picnic salad would taste rather rich if served hot with a flaky topping…
That being said, I prefer my version.
Dragon Lingerie beans lose their cool color when they are cooked but they are still intriguing in the flesh with a lacy purple appeal. When farmers Suzie & Jay Trexler (co-farm managers of Potrero Nuevo Farm) asked me if I wanted to include these in our Pig Roast menu I was afraid they would be tasteless. Quite the opposite – fat and sweet!
Dragon Lingerie Bean
Hope you join us next year for our 2014 pig roast….
More Pig Roast Sides:
Smoked Potato Salad with Hard Cooked Egg & Tarragon
For more pictures see Jay Jackson’s amazing collection: http://found-images.smugmug.com/Tanitas-Creek-Half-Moon-Bay