Succotash

Like tomatoes and zucchini, sweet corn—available now in great, bulging, three-for-a-dollar heaps at your local farmer’s market—is a summer necessity. If it weren’t so agreeably abundant—to paraphrase the late Craig Claiborne—it might enjoy the food-snob appeal of foie gras and truffles. Uovo chef Matt Hamilton gives the Native American staple its due in this recipe that’s as simple to prepare as it is to shop for—you can and everything you need at the Union Square Greenmarket. --Rob Patronite & Robin Raisfeld

Ingredients

6 ears of corn
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups Roma beans (a.k.a. Italian string or Romano beans), cleaned and trimmed
3 sprigs thyme, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, preferably Sun Golds or Super Sweet 100s

Instructions

(1) Husk the corn and (2) shave off kernels using a chef’s knife. (Optional step: If you have a grill, lightly char the corn before shaving it off the cob to give it a deeper flavor.) In a large skillet, melt the butter over low to medium heat and add the Roma beans, corn, and thyme and cook for about ten minutes, until beans are slightly tender. (3) Add cream and simmer for another five minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and mix in halved cherry tomatoes, placing some on top of each serving. (Published 2005)