Cooking Corner - In the Lima Light

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The lowly lima went upscale with Scripps Hospital's Asian-infused treatment. Photo by John Gibbons.

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In the Lima Light

By Caroline Dipping

Lima beans don't get no respect. Routinely, they crop up on Top 10 lists of the most loathed foods in America, right next to liver and Jell-O.

There is even a Facebook page called "Lima Beans Make Me Gag."

But Evelyn Weidner, owner of Weidner's Gardens in Encinitas, Calif., and a board member of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum, wasn't going to take that kind of guff lying down. Personally a lover of the lowly legume, she wanted to give the dried bean its proper due, so she hit upon having the museum host a cook-off with limas playing the starring role.

"We have a big lima bean harvesting machine on the museum property; that's what gave me the idea," Weidner said. "The men on the museum board said it was junk and wanted to sell it, but I said: 'This is part of our history. Lima beans were a major crop here.'

"Lima beans were growing here long before we got here."

Enlisting donations of dried beans from the California Lima Bean Growers Association, Weidner and other museum board members spread the word for all professional and amateur chefs to get creative and enter the contest. Seventeen cooks heeded the call and showed up on a hot Sept. 26 afternoon at the Heritage Museum, armed with crockpots, tureens and chafing dishes.

About 250 brave souls came out to sample the lima bean concoctions. Attendees lapped up Lima Bean Chocolate Dipping Sauce, Lima Bean Hummus, Lima Bean Quiche, Lima Bean Citrus Dip and Lima Bean Dal with Crunchy Lima Bean Croutons.

Weidner was elated.

"It was wonderful," she said. "I don't know how a winner could be picked from all the good entries.

"If you don't cook them to mush, lima beans are a wonderful addition to the diet. They are tasty and economical, and they don't deserve to have their terrible reputation."

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KNOW YOUR BEANS

Lima beans were named for Lima, Peru, where they were found as early as 1500. In the South, dried limas are often called butter beans. When mottled with purple, they're called calico or speckled butter beans.

There are two varieties -- the Fordhook and the baby lima. Lima beans contain a good amount of protein, phosphorus, potassium and iron. For lima bean recipes and more information, visit the California Dry Bean Board at calbeans.com/recipes.

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AND THE WINNERS WERE...

The first Lima Bean Cook Off held at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum in Encinitas had 17 competitors vying in four categories: Traditional, Ethnic, Soups, Anything Else. The winners, as chosen by judges from the North County Times and Better Homes and Gardens were:

Traditional: First Place went to Paul Barnes of Shea Homes for his Encinitas First 3 Bean Salad. Second Place went to Brett's BBQ for its Smoked BBQ Lima Beans.

Ethnic: First Place went to chef E. Dennis Van Rumund of Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas for his Asian-Infused Lima Beans. Second Place went to Mary Dralle for her Peruvian Blue Potato Salad with Lima Beans.

Soups: First Place went to Encinitas Cafe for its Lima Bean, Carrot and Ham Soup. Second Place went to Jean Bruns for her Grandma Jean's Lima Bean and Carrot Soup.

Anything Else: First Place went to Brett's BBQ for its Lima Bean Succotash Salad. Second Place went to the Encinitas Rotary for its Barbecued Lima Beans.

People's Choice: With 120 lima beans cast by cook-off attendees, voters chose the Ensalata Lima Beans from When In Rome restaurant for First Place. The Encinitas Rotary took Second Place, with 108 beans, for its Barbecued Lima Beans.

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ASIAN-INFUSED LIMA BEANS

3 cups cooked lima beans

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup water chestnuts

1/4 cup sliced green onions

DRESSING

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sherry

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoons crystallized ginger

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sambal oelek (see note)

1 cup canola/olive oil blend

Salt and pepper to taste

Baked wonton wrappers

Micro greens, such as Intensity Mix

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Mix beans, bell pepper, water chestnuts and onions in a large bowl. Blend dressing ingredients till well combined. Pour dressing over lima bean mixture. Marinate two hours in refrigerator.

To bake the wonton wrappers: Lay wonton wrappers in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Lightly spray with olive/canola oil blend. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

To serve: Place a spoonful of lima beans on a baked wonton wrapper. Top with a couple of micro greens.

Note: Sambal oelek is an Indonesian condiment made of chiles, brown sugar and salt. It can be found in Asian markets.

-- Executive Chef E. Dennis van Rumund, Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas)

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Caroline Dipping writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

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COPYRIGHT 2009 THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.

This news arrived on: 10/22/2009

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