Brown Sugar & Herb Grilled Chicken with End of Summer Succotash

September has always been a month that I wished was the beginning of Autumn, but in practice, it very much was still summer. This year though, there is a genuine crisp chill in the air in the morning, and it occurs to me that the plentiful produce of summer will very soon give way to a heartier fall garden. I look forward to the shift, but I am already grieving the end of my tomatoes and peppers prematurely. Which is silly, considering I still have plenty of time to enjoy them and in fact I am pretty much overwhelmed by them at this moment. This recipe is a true celebration of the bounty of September, with squash, corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans, zucchini, and fresh herbs. And honestly, it has no right to be so delicious considering it is just a big pot of mixed vegetables (and butter). If you want to make this a little bit heartier, I am sure a slice of good bread and butter with some fresh cracked salt & pepper would really set this over the edge. However, the vegetables and chicken make a fantastic meal on their own.

Since making this dish, i've seen it on at least 3 menus at local restaurants in the last month, which I suppose could just be a frequency illusion - or perhaps a sign that restaurants are moving to more seasonal menus. Either way, every time I order it or make it at home, it does not disappoint, and it makes me feel like the healthiest girl in the world.

Here in Georgia, zipper peas were on sale and grown locally. However this was the first time I have shelled peas myself, and it occurred to me that it must be the reason people have chosen to have children over the course of history. Definitely pawn that job onto someone else if you are able, but if not, frozen peas or beans will certainly work great. You can mix and match the vegetables to your taste and to the season, but beans, corn, and squash make a great base. I've been growing shishitos this year as well, and there is a huge difference in the flavor between store bought and home grown. I know that applies to pretty much everything, but man it really applies to shishitos. I also added some garden tomatoes, and the little pops of flavor were a tomato girl's dream.

I recently planted a medicinal herb garden, and for the marinade I did my best to take advantage of what I had, which included basil, lemon thyme, rosemary, and lemon balm. Lemon balm has been great to include when I forget to buy lemons, though a squeeze of fresh citrus on top never hurts either.

End of Summer Succotash Recipe

Feel free to modify the vegetable selection and amounts to your taste.

• 3 - 4 Ears of Sweet Corn
• 1/2 lb Shelled Beans (fresh or frozen) such as zipper peas or lima beans
• 2 Zucchini
• 1 Squash
• 1 Sweet Bell Pepper
• 1 cup Shishito Peppers
• 1 and 1/2 cups of Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Sweet Onion
• 1/2 cup Garlic Chives
• 1/2 cup Basil
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Shuck the corn and remove the kernels from the cob. If using beans that need to be shelled, shell the beans as well.
2. Prepare the zucchini, squash, onion, and bell pepper by dicing into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Slice the shishitos into disks, and chop the chives and basil.
4. Add all the vegetables to a sauté pan or dutch oven, except for the tomatoes and fresh herbs. Add a tablespoon of butter, the salt & pepper and garlic powder.
5. On medium high heat, stir the vegetables for several minutes until they start to brown. Once the corn and beans are mostly cooked after around 7 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes.
6. When the cherry tomatoes start to burst, add the fresh herbs and stir. Taste and adjust the salt & pepper, and add a bit more butter if you desire.
7. Serve with the grilled chicken and top with some more fresh basil and some lemon juice if desired.

A Note on the History of Succotash

My knowledge of Succotash before cooking this dish was the phrase "Suffering Succotash", a la Sylvester the Cat and Daffy Duck. And in fact, I just learned that the phrase itself is a malapropism, or perhaps a euphemism, for "Suffering Savior" - similar to saying Crikey instead of Christ or Dagnabbit instead of God Damnit. Apparently during the Victorian Era, there was a rejection of profanity, which led to a rise in these colloquial phrases to avoid taking the Lord's name in vain. Just an interesting fact to start off the rest of the history lesson.

Succotash is a North American dish, with a long history likely as old as domesticated corn and beans themselves. The name succotash comes from the Narragansett word sahquttahhash, which means "broken corn kernels". Wampanoag cooks made different types of succotash depending on the seasonal harvest, forage and hunt. English settlers adapted the dish as well, and eventually it became part of the standard cuisine of New England. If you are aware of the Three Sisters, it is an unsurprising pairing - and in fact, the combination of grains and legumes creates a dish that is high in all essential amino acids. The Three Sisters is a companion planting method to grow corn, beans, and squash. The corn acts as a trellis for the beans, which strengthen the base of the corn when high winds strike, as corn is actually quite shallow rooted. The squash provides large leaves to shade out weeds and keep the soil moist. With this method, it would make sense that the ingredients would be used together, and indeed are delicious together. I enjoyed the small bit of research I did for this article, and i've convinced myself to try the Three Sisters method next year in the garden. I'll report back with my findings, and will let you know if my Succotash is even more delicious next year.