The best and the worst

I've been eyeing the fresh black-eyed peas at the market every Saturday for a month, coveting and planning—and getting distracted. I buy favas in huge amounts throughout the spring, spending hours shelling, blanching, and peeling—I've never shied away from working for my dinner—but I never really new what to do with fresh black-eyed peas.

Enter Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables, a leftover package of bacon, and the mother of all swiss chard (that's a large dinner fork).



Add some caramelized onions, a dab of cider vinegar, and some brown rice, and we sat down to the best dinner I've eaten in months. The beans-and-greens combination is always a great one, and this is no exception.

As I tasted, wrote notes, and muttered to myself about how good it was going to be, I was already planning my post, excited to share such a healthy, easy, and fan-freaking-tastic meal with you, when I stumbled upon a problem.

We ate it all. Every bite. That photo of the chard up there? It's all I've got.

In my defense, it's far too dark here for photos when dinner is ready, and I have to rely upon leftovers for a picture of anything that I cook at night. Unfortunately, the empty skillet and a bowl of rice was all that was left to photograph.

So, I leave you with a request, and a promise: look for fresh black-eyed peas at your local market, and if you find them, by a pound or two and stash the bag in your crisper drawer. This weekend, I will post the recipe (and some photos). I'm only sorry I didn't start doing this a month ago.