Skillet-Cooked Sweet Corn and Lima Beans

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Cut the kernels from the ears of corn until you have 4 or 5 cups (see below).

   Step 2

   Shell all the lima beans. You should get at least a quart of shelled beans from 4 pounds of beans in the shell. Rinse the shelled limas, getting rid of any bits of the pods, and drain them well.

   Step 3

   Put the olive oil in the skillet, toss in the garlic slices, and cook them over medium-high heat for just a minute. Dump all the limas from the bowl into the pan—keep your face away, as there will be a lot of sizzling when the damp beans hit the oil. Immediately cover the pan, give it a good shake, and turn down the heat to medium-low.

   Step 4

   Cook the limas, covered, and shake the pan frequently. Uncover it every 3 minutes or so and quickly check that the beans are sizzling and softening but not burning. After 10 minutes, sprinkle over beans the salt and peperoncino; cover and cook for another minute. Then add the corn kernels and stir them into the beans. Cook, covered, another 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover again.

   Step 5

   Cook another 8 to 10 minutes, until the beans and the kernels are tender to the bite but not mushy, and have caramelized lightly on the edges.

   Step 6

   Serve the corn and limas right away, straight from the pan or piled on a platter covered with a thin layer of Basil Onion Sauce. Scoop up some of the sauce with each serving spoonful.

2. Basil Onion Sauce

   Step 7

   Reserve 5 or 6 bright-green basil leaves (about 2 tablespoons) and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the remainder of the basil in a small saucepan with all the other ingredients (including the remaining tablespoon of olive oil). Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes.

   Step 8

   Remove the cover and boil steadily another 20 minutes or longer, reducing the contents of the pot to 1 cup—about a quarter of the original volume. Lower the heat if necessary, as liquid evaporates, to avoid burning the sauce ingredients.

   Step 9

   When it is sufficiently concentrated, scrape everything from the pot into the bowl of a food processor and purée. Roughly chop the reserved basil leaves with a knife, then add the pieces to the food processor and purée until they’re incorporated. Finally, with the machine running, drizzle in the reserved 2 tablespoons of excellent olive oil, to form a light emulsion.

   Step 10

   Serve the sauce warm with cooked vegetables; reheat on the stove if it has cooled off. Store in the refrigerator.

3. Good With . . .

   Step 11

   Brussels sprouts

   Step 12

   Boiled eggs

   Step 13

   Poached leeks

   Step 14

   Fresh tomatoes with mozzarella

   Step 15

   Poached zucchini

4. Cutting Fresh Corn Kernels

   Step 16

   Sweet corn on the cob is special, but for many dishes I want the fresh kernels only. Here’s how I cut them from the cob—quickly:

5. Step 17

   With a big chef’s knife, chop off an inch or two at the top and the bottom of the ear. This removes much of the silk and the stem and makes peeling the husk easy. Strip off the husks and remove any clinging silks. Now stand the ear on the cut flat bottom end, on a tray or inside a wide bowl, so the kernels don’t fall all over the place. Slice down with the blade of the knife, close to the cob, going the full length of the cob and shaving off a band of kernels. Rotate the cob and slice off more kernels, turning and slicing until it’s clean shaven.

6. Step 18

   You may get anywhere from 1/2 cup to nearly 2 cups of kernels from each ear, depending on the size of the corn and the maturity of the kernels.

7. Step 19

   Corn cobs can add a lot of flavor to stocks, a soup base, or Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288). Save a few cobs when you make these summer corn dishes: wrap them airtight, freeze them, and drop them into the pot the next time you are making stock or soup.