Soul Food · Authentic-ish Soul Food
Butter Beans with Ham
169 kcal a serving, against 270 for the traditional version. That is 101 kcal off, or 37%, with 12.6g of protein. Serves 6. 2 hours (plus overnight soak, unless you're a tinned bean renegade).
What the traditional version is
The traditional dish is simple but hearty: dried butter beans (large lima beans) simmered with a hefty slab of salted pork or hock, sometimes with an onion thrown in, maybe a bay leaf if you're lucky. The pork fattens and flavours the broth, and you get plenty of soft, sticky beans and chunks of pork to chase round your bowl. It's usually served with cornbread or just as it comes.
What changed, and what each change costs
Pork shoulder or hock for lean gammon joint
This is where all the fat comes from. Pork hock brings plenty of smoky flavour and richness, but it's mostly fat and collagen. Lean gammon gives you pork taste for a fraction of the fat and keeps the hammy vibe.
What it costs you. You'll lose that glossy, fatty broth that coats your lips, and the chunks of meat aren't quite as tender. But if you slice the gammon thin and let it simmer in the beans, it's still got enough flavour to keep you interested.
Half the pork weight but add extra onion
When you drop most of the fat, the stew misses that mouthfeel. Bumping up the onions to nearly double not only brings sweetness, but they break down and help thicken things up a bit.
What it costs you. It's a little sweeter and lighter, and you won't be tricking anyone into thinking this is an old-school Southern granny's pot. Nobody will mind unless they're deeply attached to pork fat.
Skimmed the seasoning back - no extra salt, lean meat is already salty
Gammon's already plenty salty, and you aren't diluting it with a lake of pork fat. Overdo the salt here and you'll be drinking water for an hour.
What it costs you. You miss the extra salt-crusted pork nubs you sometimes find in the original, but you can always serve with hot sauce if you're feeling the lack.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 270 | 169 |
| Protein | 17.9g | 12.6g |
| Fat | 12.7g | 3.2g |
| Saturated fat | 4.3g | 1g |
| Carbohydrate | 21.6g | 24g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.6g | 7.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Soul Food prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk.
The method is in the book
This isn't a silky stew swimming in pork fat, but it's surprisingly rich for how little meat's in it. The onions soften and give the broth some body, and the gammon brings enough smoky pork punch to make you forget you traded away half the fat. You won't fool a homesick Southerner, but you'll get a pot of beans you can eat for lunch and not regret. If you wanted the original, you wouldn't be reading this.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Soul Food, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.