I say serve them as a marinated salad with fried chicken and greens. There was a farmer at the farmer’s market on Thursday that was standing all by his lonesome, and the only thing he was selling was swiss chard and a few new potatoes. I bought some of both, because you have to support a man who believes that he is going to get enough people over to his tent to make the day worth his while, selling nothing but a single dark leafy green.
I have no idea how to fry chicken, but I did pick up a trick this week that you can brine it, using milk. Brining breaks down the fibers to tenderize the meat. Let it sit in there for about four or five hours. Salt all the pieces as much as you can and then cover them with milk. Pat them dry, and go on and fry like you normally would in your egg, flour, and whatever secret coatings you have. For the swiss chard, sweat a piece of garlic in olive oil until it is golden, and then add the chard, draining it to leave the juices in the pan, before you set it on the plate. Season with a little salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Here’s the beans: heat up the olive oil. Add one clove of minced garlic and 2 Tablespoons of minced onion. Add a little salt, and saute until just golden. Add a pinch of smashed coriander seed and stir for a minute. Add a small can of black eyed peas, and a smidge of minced jalapeno. Off the heat, spritz on the juice of half a lime, and a Tablespoon of sherry vinegar (a nice thing to have in your pantry). Taste for salt.