Celebrating three indigenous American ingredients: corn, lima beans, and kidney beans, Aliza Green’s Tricolor Succotash (from her cookbook Beans: More Than 200 Delicious, Wholesome Recipes from Around the World) is an ideal side to your Forth of July picnic spread.

“Originally, [succotash] was an Algonquin Indian dish consisting of butter beans (large limas) and corn kernels, cooked together in bear fat,” Green explains in the book. “The Narraganset Indians called it misckquatash and made it with kidney beans instead of limas.”

I’ve always thought of succotash as quintessentially Southern, since both corn and limas (or butterbeans) are such staples in the South. We never added kidney beans to succotash growing up, but I love the extra color and flavor they give.

You could easily turn this succotash into a salad by substituting olive oil for butter, stirring in lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley to taste at the end, and serving it chilled.

Tricolor Succotash
(serves 8)

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
2 cups cooked kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or ¾ cup dried dark red kidney beans, cooked and drained
2 cups cooked shelled fresh lima beans, or 2 cups frozen baby limas, rinsed
4 cups fresh yellow, white, or bi-colored corn kernels (about 8 ears), or 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen yellow corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter. Add the cooked kidney beans, fresh or frozen limas, and fresh or frozen corn. Stir or toss to coat evenly with the butter and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until bubbling hot. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve immediately.

From the book BEANS: More than 200 Delicious, Wholesome Recipes from Around the World © 2004 by Aliza Green.
Adapted courtesy of Aliza Green.