Mushroom + Tofu Skewers with Succotash

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Why we love it:

Succotash means “cracked corn” in Narragansett, a Native American language spoken in most of Rhode Island (where Chef Alison is from). The dish has a strong presence in the South too though! I'm partial to it during the summer, made with fresh corn off the cob. There are endless variations, with or without bacon and cream. It manages to be bright and rich at the same time. Use 6" bamboo skewers or your favorite metal version!

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Ingredients

¹⁄₂ Yellow Onion (diced)
1 clove Garlic (minced)
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
3 ears Corn (off the cob or 2 cups frozen kernels)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (divided)
3 Roma Tomatos (cherry tomatoes, or whatever looks good)
1 package Edamame (they usually come in 12 ounce bags)
1 package Firm Tofu (Firm or extra firm usually 12-16 ounces, doesn't matter really, just use the whole package)
¹⁄₂ pound Cremini Mushrooms
1 cup Heavy Cream
¹⁄₂ bunch Basil

Cooking Instructions

1. ONION + GARLIC

Peel and dice the yellow onion into small dice. Mince the garlic.

Heat a large sauté pan with tall sides over medium heat. Melt the butter and add ½ teaspoon olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Prep the corn during this time.
2. CORN

Shuck the corn and slice the kernels off into a large bowl. If using frozen corn, measure it out, no need to defrost it first.

Add the corn kernels and ½ teaspoon of salt to the pan.
3. TOMATO

Dice the tomato and add to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the edamame to the pan. Stir to combine and cook for about 6-10 minutes. Turn down to lower heat if it’s picking up any color or you feel like you constantly need to stir - you should be able to let it sit and slowly come together.
4. SKEWERS

Meanwhile, prep the skewers. Dice the tofu into 1” cubes as evenly as possible. Wipe the mushrooms down with a slightly damp paper towel.

You could alternate but the skewers cook more consistently if you cook all mushroom and all tofu.

Thread the pieces evenly onto skewers leaving an uncovered part as a handle. Press the cubes and mushrooms close enough together so they nestle together but not so tightly that they’re squished.

Sprinkle all sides evenly with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Drizzle with olive oil.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add ½ teaspoon of olive oil and when its shimmering, add the skewers. Cook for about 3 minutes then carefully turn. Cook for 3 more minutes and turn again. Make the final turn to sear the 4th side and they should be cooked through.
5. FINISH

Add the cream to the succotash and stir well to combine. Bring it to a simmer and cook for a final minute to thicken just a bit.

Mince half of the bunch of basil and add most of it to the succotash and turn off the heat.
6. PLATING

Plate a big scoop of succotash topped with skewers. Garnish with any leftover basil.

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Substitutions

DAIRY FREE:

it’s ok to omit the cream and not replace it for a drier succotash. You could use coconut milk, chicken or vegetable stock, or even about ½ cup of water
CREAM:

if you like dairy but not cream, use ½ and ½, whole milk, 2% milk, or ¼ cup of cream cheese
TOFU:

use all mushrooms instead. Or another veggie - zucchini makes for a great skewer
PESCATARIAN:

use cubes of salmon or shrimp for skewering
SKEWERS:

don’t have them or care about presentation? Just sauté the mushrooms and tofu loose and serve over the top. Same taste!
EDAMAME:

frozen peas are good. Lima beans are actually the most traditional. Green beans cut into short lengths are perfect in summer

Prep Ahead & Use It Up

Make the succotash – it’s great the next day
Prep the mushrooms and tofu, you could marinate it with a dressing or just leave it cubed and ready to cook