6 c Milk; warmed
2 c Baby lima beans; cooked, (1
-c dry)
2 c Corn; raw, (fresh or frozen
-& thawed, not canned)
1 1/2 c Onion; chopped
1 c Celery; minced
3 tb Butter
2 md Cloves garlic
1/2 ts Basil; or more
1/4 ts Thyme; or more
1 1/2 ts Salt; or more
1 ts Tamari; up to 2
Black pepper; freshly grated
Fresh parsley; choped
Fresh chives; chopped
Aside from the advance preparation of beans, this recipe takes only
about 30 minutes to prepare.
This recipe calls for 2 c cooked baby lima beans. If you use dry
limas, begin soaking 1 cup in water 3 1/2 hours before you plan to
assemble this soup. Soak the beans two hours, then cook them
approximately 1 hour, or until just tender. Whether you use frozen
beans or dry beans, cook them carefully so they don't get too mushy.
That would cancel Charm Number One of this soup, which is the
complementary textures of corn and perfectly done lima beans. So
don't, under any circumstances, use canned lima beans! Your soup will
resemble library paste.
In a large kettle, heat butter and crush the garlic into it. Add a
little salt and the chopped onion. Saute over medium heat, and add
celery. Add a little more salt and saute, stirring, until onions are
translucent and the celery tender. Add the corn and cook 5 minutes.
Add basil, thyme, milk, tamary, and lima beans. Correct seasonings.
Let sit, away from heat, until you are ready to heat it for serving.
Don't cook it--just heat it gently. Top each serving with parsley and
chives.
