I tagged along with my parents on a trip to Louisville, KY a couple of weeks ago.  Louisville is a charming city, and my parents are good company, especially with two little ones in tow.  So I know it’s going to sound crazy when I tell you that the highlight of the trip was lima beans.  Bruce Ucán, chef at Mayan Cafe serves them up blistered in sesame oil with toasted ground pumpkin seeds, parsley, and green onions.  I found his recipe on a local tv station website, and he was gracious enough to let me reprint it here for you.

Mayan Tok-Sel Lima Beans

courtesy Bruce Ucán, Mayan Cafe

(Tweaked a little because the recipe seemed to not scale down correctly for the home cook.  Origanal version here.)

Ingredients

serves 4:

10 oz. of frozen lima beans  (Fordhook, if you can find them)
1 bunch of green onions
1/2 bunch of parsley
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
6 oz. (about a cup) of shelled pumpkin seeds
1/2 oz. (a tablespoon or two) of sesame oil

Defrost lima beans and set aside to dry.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop (fine to medium) the green onions and parsley. Set aside.

Roast the pumpkin seeds in the 350 degree oven, then grind them (again, fine to medium) in a food processor.

For the next step, have all the ingredients ready as this is a quick process, similar to using a wok.

Put the sesame oil in a skillet on medium heat. When the oil starts smoking, throw the lima beans in first. Sauté them until they are brown and roasted.

Add all the other ingredients except the lemon juice and sauté for another minute. Then add lemon juice.

Ready to serve.