When I was in college in Raleigh, North Carolina, my roommate, Betsy, was from Chapel Hill, some 20 miles away. Betsy had a fun, warm, welcoming family and so I was lucky to spend many evenings with them at the table. In my old age, I have a vivid memory of dinner one evening with the two of us and her parents: beautiful, sweet Mrs. Mott and her gregarious, larger-than-life Episcopal priest father, Mr. Mott. The night that comes to mind was centered around butter beans. Seems that Mrs. Mott loved butter beans and served them in a bowl with their liquid seasoned with ham. I remember that we all picked up our bowls at the end and drank the juice just as some do with collard greens pot liquor.
I also love butter beans, but first let’s make sure we are all on the same page. My butter beans are little bitty and pale green and only bought in the summer. I don’t really care for any other bean relative, even if you want to call yours a butter bean.
With that settled, this is the perfect time to head to the Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market for a sleeve or just a ziplock of shelled butter beans. I hope I haven’t missed my opportunity. (Do you hear me, M.C.?) In the past few summers I have bought a sleeve and then portioned it out and sealed it with my handy dandy vacuum sealer (best $30 investment I ever made) to pull out of the freezer over the next year.
There are no complicated instructions to cook butter beans. Just put the beans in a pot of boiling salted water to cover (if pulled from the freezer, leave them frozen), then lower to simmer and cook until tender. Drain, season with pepper and butter and eat. Since it is summer, you can also mix them into fried (or creamed) corn for a simple succotash.
Below are some recipes you’ll enjoy. The first one I made five or 6 six years ago at the farmers’ market. It was a big hit. It sounds odd, but it is delicious and tastes fresh and summery served with pita chips or tortilla chips. It would also make a delightful tea sandwich with thinly-sliced red onion and a sprig of mint.
BUTTER BEAN PÂTÉ
Makes 1 1/2 cups butter bean spread
2 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
2 cups fresh or frozen butter beans, about 10 ounces
1/4 cup tightly-packed fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
1/4 cup tightly-packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, washed and dried
2 tablespoons whole or low-fat buttermilk or sour cream
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
(Source: “The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen)
BUTTER BEANS WITH MINT, LIME AND BUTTER
Kosher salt
6 cups fresh shelled butter beans or frozen baby lima beans
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Juice of 2 large limes
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lime zest, for garnish
(Source: “The Lee Brothers Charleston Kitchen”)
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