L is for Lima Beans

Limas getting the limelight!

or rather, the limalight (nudge nudge....)

I've been thinking about Lima beans since last week. Through our church, the Mrs. and I have made some great friends, Dan and Kelly being two of them. They invited us over for dinner and along with some delicious cobia they served, you guessed it, Lima beans.
I thought to myself, "I haven't had a Lima in a long time." I still liked them and lamented the fact that I have not been eating them on the reg.

Thank you so much for dinner Dan and Kelly, and thanks for leading me to the Lima bean for this post.

Before we go any further, I have a confession to make. The first time that I tried to cook these Lima beans, I messed it up. I did not follow the directions on the back of the package and it was not pretty. I left the kitchen, frustrated, and went back to the store and bought another bag of beans. No Lie.


I made two dishes with my correctly cooked Limas, and if you are going to cook these at home you will need a 1 pound bag of baby Lima beans. Follow the directions on the back of the package; save yourself trip back to the store and $1.42. 

Let's get cooking!

Lima Bean Ravioli

• 2 cups cooked Lima Beans
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 3T fresh parsley
• 2T olive oil
• 1 1/2t black pepper
• 1t anchovy paste
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• Won-ton wrappers
• 1 egg, plus 2t water

Place the Lima beans, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, olive oil, anchovy paste, and garlic clove into the food processor. Pulse all of that together until you get a thick paste. If it is too thick, add more olive oil and milk. If it is too thin, add a few more Limas.

 Next it is time to fill your ravioli. Set up our counter in an assembly line having your Lima bean mixture, won-ton wrappers, egg wash, and plate to put filled ravioli all in a row.

How to fill a ravioli

Place a small amount in the middle of the wrapper

Brush two adjacent sides with egg wash

Fold into a triangle, and don't trap any air inside.

Fold over the middle to make a Pop's hat.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the ravioli for about 5-7 minutes and serve! 

I made a quick sauce while my ravioli were boiling. It was just 2T butter, 1 1/2T flour, 3/4 cup of store bought marinara, and 2 egg yolks. Melt the butter with the flour and sauce on medium heat. Stir in 3T of heated sauce into the yolks, and then add back to the sauce on the stove. Cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened. I also topped my ravioli with a little bit of bacon. 

Lima Bean Salad

• 3 cups cooked Lima Beans
• 1 16oz. can of yellow corn, drained and rinsed
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 2T fresh cilantro
• 2T olive oil
• 2T apple cider vinegar
• 1t poppy seeds
• 2t slat
• 2t black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently. Place in the refrigerator overnight and let the flavors all meld together. Serve cold. 

Mmmmmm.....that was de-Licious! What can we make for "M"?

-J