Fresh Fridays: Corn, Zucchini & Poblano Pepper “Succotash”

Summer Succotash by Max Hansen

In  this series, local chefs give us their favorite recipes, full of fresh, seasonal ingredients, just in time for the weekend.

By Chef Max Hansen, MaxHansenCaterer and the Max Hansen Carversville Grocery,

The arrival of summer portends the bounty of the amazing market basket that comes from Bucks County farms. As a child growing up this meant going out to the garden with my grandfather to enjoy the best produce known to humankind. These days, in addition to growing two large gardens, we work with many of the amazing farms that literally surround us. None Such, Blue Moon Acres, Solebury Orchards and Manoff Orchards, to name but a few.

The arrival of the sweet corn from None Such Farms signals the peak of the summer growing season. My absolute favorite side dish is a simple succotash of Bi-Color Corn, Zucchini and Poblano Peppers. The vegetables are so full of flavor that I simply sauté each of them separately in a little butter/olive oil combination and season them with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. This is my modern take on the classic dish that I grew up loving as a child. It is a fantastic accompaniment to anything coming off the grill, beautiful rib-eye steaks, herb-marinated chicken or rare grilled sushi tuna.

At MaxHansenCaterer and the Max Hansen Carversville Grocery we work with as many local products in season as we possibly can. Our goal is to use excellent ingredients, cooked properly, to respect the integrity of the food and produce a wonderful culinary experience for our guests, wherever they may be!Cut corn; photo credit Lynne Goldman

Nonesuch Farm Bi-Color Corn, Zucchini and Poblano Pepper “Succotash”

Click here for the recipe.

Yields 8 generous portions

INGREDIENTS

3 ears Nonesuch Farm Bi-Color corn, shucked and cut off the cob. Try to remove as much “silk” as possible.
2 medium zucchini, washed and cut into a 3/8” dice
3 large Poblano peppers, cut in half, remove seeds and cut into a 3/8” dice
3 Tbsp sweet butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Cilantro (optional)

HOW TO

I like to cook the vegetables separate in a heavy duty non-stick pan.

  1. Heat 1 Tbsp each of olive oil and butter over a medium/high heat until the butter starts to foam. Add the corn, season lightly with the salt and pepper, and cook the corn until it starts to pick up a little color, but do not overcook. Set aside and repeat the process with the zucchini and the Poblano pepper.
  2. Before serving, add all the ingredients back to the pan to heat up, adjust the seasoning as needed and add the cilantro if you are using it.

We make this in the peak of corn, zucchini and Poblano pepper season. As such I usually leave out the cilantro. If we are getting corn from the south early in the season or at the end of the season I usually add a little rough chopped cilantro.

This dish works perfectly with grilled chicken, fish and steaks!


Max Hansen

ABOUT Max Hansen

For more than thirty years, Chef Max Hansen has celebrated the freshness and innovation of the American table, drawing widely on his Bucks County roots and sourcing from local farms.

Max Hansen Kitchen, including MaxHansenCaterers, the Max Hansen Carversville Grocery, Max Hansen Firewood and Max Hansen Smoked Salmon
4723 Point Pleasant Pike
Doylestown, PA 18902
WEB: maxhansenkitchen.com
PH: See contact information here maxhansenkitchen.com/contact-us

 

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