Butterbeans
By kmorganmoss • Aug 25th, 2008 • Category: Vegetables & Sides •
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The fact that I adore butterbeans might come as a surprise since I have shared my lack of affection for lima beans without hesitation. As odd as this might sound, until you have tried fresh Southern butterbeans you couldn’t begin to understand me on this one.
Lima beans are so loathed by me that shuddering is an instantaneous response when I see them. Lima beans remind me of years of childhood torture being forced to eat them. As a child it took me some time to gather my wits when faced with a plate of lima beans, which was quite often.
Seeing that I was very asthmatic and prone to severe attacks without warning, I was able to use this medical condition to my advantage. I finally devised a plan that would send me to the bathroom coughing and wheezing with the pretense of gasping for air. This was done while under the disguise of a napkin, lest we not forget our manners. Hidden in every possible crevice of my mouth was a full load of limas that had moments before been shoved in- to full capacity.
This scheme worked well for peas as well, my other all- time vegetable phobia. Until a sibling (no names here) caught on and promptly ratted on me as I returned from the bathroom well once again, recovered from my asthma attack. The snitching was prompted by the fact that my sibling was still faced with a plate of limas to finish or else-you didn’t get to leave the table.
My parents weren’t joking either; we did not leave the table till the plate was clean.
After years of therapy working through this childhood trauma, I was able to mend my psyche enough to consider tasting a butterbean. All I can say is that, at $120/hour for a handful of sessions on the evils of force-feeding-the money was well spent.
Butterbeans are nutty and moist followed with sweet and creamy. This is all before I have even poured on the gobs of butter and heavy cream used to cook them down just a touch more, as the Southern cooks do. The process of making butterbeans in this manner creates a coating of rich sweet cream which ultimately ends up covering every curve of these succulent morsels of pure heaven.
If you can find butterbeans fresh at the market, pay the $5/bag it will cost you for them shelled. Don’t quibble about the money and don’t worry about whether you will like them. Trust me you will.
Butterbeans hardly need a recipe as cooking them is so simple and one of the only truly Southern dishes that I learned to make ages ago. After rinsing them, cover the beans with water adding a little bacon or salt pork and bring these babies to a boil, then down to a good hearty simmer while cooking them for 40-60 minutes. Taste them after the 40 minutes are up and then continue tasting them till just tender. Don’t let them get mushy.
You can stop at this point and just eat them as they are, or continue on with the truly magnificent high fat version that I subscribe to. Put a big chunk of butter and pour heavy cream on top to cover them and then continue to cook for another 15 minutes or so until the butter and cream have reduced to a thickened sauce that covers and coats each morsel.
Serve with a little salt and lots of freshly cracked pepper. This is a great addition to the traditional Southern Veggie Plate that is served at all the true Southern eateries. Or just grab a bowl or two and enjoy them alone, as you will want seconds.
I promise you- that you will sigh and nary will a childhood food trauma surface while enjoying one of the grandest gems of Southern cooking-the butterbean.
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kmorganmoss is the aspiring writer, photographer & passionate cook of ayankeeinasouthernkitchen.com; she is currently blogging and hopes to find her calling.
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Your post made me smile! So funny…
Those Butterbeans look delicious! What a wonderfully comforting dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
These are my all time favorite and I can eat a huge bowl without guilt since the season for fresh butter beans is so short. I suggest that everyone goes to their nearest farmer’s market and get a bag and cook them up! You won’t regret it! And yes the butter and heavy cream are worth every calorie!
There’s a country singer here in Texas that sings a song called, “She’s my little butterbean.” That’s what I think of every time I see them!
OMG I can’t wait till my asthmatic son uses that one! LOL. I love Lima beans! Anyways, these look delicious, really delicious.
You always make me so hungry when you describe things! I could eat a whole bowl of these myself!
Don’t like peas? That’s crazy!
This is a gorgeous dish Kim - beans, butter, cream = love!
i love you kim… oh man i hate peas and lima beans. i tried everything when i was a kid to try not to eat those two things. blech.
beans, beans, good for the heart…
good for the tastebuds, too–butterbeans are delicious and their texture is one-of-a-kind. butter and cream version for me, please.
You’ve made beans look sexy!
Oh, my husband loves these beans! We eat a lot of beans and I don’t think I make these enough. (I had a similar childhood trauma with string beans…now I love them..go figure.)
Hi Kim! yes, I always said that lima beans are chalk covered in plastic! These butter beans look scrumptious! I will try some this weekend. BTW - had corn fritters last night - SO good - thanks for that post!
Who doesn’t like peas? LOL Great photos!
Mmmm this reminds me of the chili my mom makes with butter beans in it
Creamy and full of beans…here I come
Kim
I am with you - prefer the butter bean. I think it has to do with texture (firmer). I usually buy them frozen (loose in a bag) - they are usually labeled “baby lima beans”) and often add corn near the end of cooking (succotash).
Another treat - the dried ones - here, I like both large and small.
Everytime I see butterbeans,I think about this song ( and I only know it because the husband’s band plays it):
Just a bowl of butter beans
Pass the cornbread if you please
I don’t no collard greens
All I wan’t is a bowl of butter beans.
Just a little piece of country ham
Pass the butter and the jam
Pass the biscuits if you please
And some more of the good ol’ butter beans.
Bread and gravy is all right
A turnip sandwich is a delight
But my children all still scream
For another bowl of butter beans.
When they lay my bones to rest
Place a rose upon my chest
Plant those blooming evergreens
But all I want honey is a bowl of butter beans.
Just a bowl of butter beans
Pass the cornbread if you please
I don’t no collard greens
All I wan’t is a bowl of butter beans.
They look fantastic Kim!
What a nice looking bowl of beans! I’ll take a nice bowl for lunch today!
Are you sure there is really a difference? These look exactly like lima beans. :o)
Thank you for sharing your Butterbean Recipe. I had never heard of or tasted butterbeans until my MIL introduced me to them. They were wonderful. I regret that I never got her recipe. She has passed and the marriage has crumbled so I cannot ask now. I bought a cookbook with the title Butterbeans to Blackberries in hopes of finding the recipe. Your recipe sounds just like hers only yours has the added bonus of cream and butter. I am so excited to try your recipe I will have to do it this Labor Day weekend. Is it butterbean season now?
Thank you again!
Hmmm…let’s think about this…butter, cream, and BACON! I’m in!
Kim those beans made me hungry for them right now. I’m off today so it’s off to Whole Paycheck to get some of those. I’ll subscribe to the high fat version. I’ll just speak to the treadmill a bit more next week!
I, too, grew up despising lima beans. I could manage to get them down when in succotash though.
Jill
Per Wikipedia they both have the same scientic name, but they are different due to the region where they where domesticated - the big one (lima) from Peru and the small one (sieva or butter bean) from central America.
I love beans. They do kinda look like lima beans though. And I LOVE the story… I remember you telling us that when we were younger. I am so glad you never made us finish our plates before we could leave the table. Although, I do remember one time I stayed at the table. Me vs. Salad. Unfortunately, it was Salad:1, Lindsey:0.
There are so many southern dishes that I have heard of and want to try. I wish I could remember them all. I think I will start with this one
If a fellow Lima-Bean hater likes this dish than it must be pretty good. Thanks for the how-to!
[...] A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen: Butter Beans - I’ve never had these but they look awesome. I wonder if it’s in the Lee Brother’s Cookbook in my kitchen. [...]
my sister-in-law is from Blythewood, South Carolina and there are few things she loves more than butter beans. I’ve never had them. I can now understand why she adores them. these look delicious.
I know I’m late to the party, but I just had to add my 2 cents! I LOVE butter beans..any way you fix them. I add them to most soups and stews. This preparation looks especially Southern and chubby-good. I also love lima beans. Not so much the big Fordhook limas (the skin is kind of tough), but the baby ones are almost as creamy in texture as the butter beans. I think the reason most don’t like limas is that they may have first had beans that were either too old or were undercooked. The texture is gritty and the flavor is grassy unless they are cooked until just before the mush stage. Thanks for this!