Happy New Year (Six Months Late…)

Once again this post shows just how…delayed…I can sometimes be in putting things up. Here is the meal I prepared shortly after the new year. Black-eyed peas (they’re actually beans of course) and greens are two food items that are supposed to bring good fortune as the Earth makes another trip around the Sun. I served them with some fried pieces of pork (leftover from the day in class when we learned to butcher a rack into chops) and a honey sweetened cornbread (I followed the recipe on the bag of cornmeal and added a heaping spoonful of orange blossom honey). My roommate and her boyfriend shared the meal with me, and I was shocked to learn that not everyone grew up eating beans and cornbread together. [Poll: Have you ever heard of eating beans and cornbread together?] Well I must say that if you’ve never tried this dynamic duo, you need to put it on your to-do list IMMEDIATELY if you know what’s good for you; even if you sometimes choose not to make the best decisions, I feel like you should trust in me enough at this point to know that I would not steer you in the wrong direction.

Put the beans and bay leaves in a pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Brown the bones in oil in a large stock pot. Once browned, add the greens and let them begin to wilt. Cover with beef stock (or water) and add red pepper flakes, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about an hour or so (in Southern cuisine you pretty much want to cook the leaves until they’re as dead as a doornail). Increase the heat with a few glugs of hot sauce and brighten it up a bit with a splash of apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust.

Season the meat with the spices listed above. Dredge in flour and pan-fry in 350˚F oil (a.k.a. the meat sizzles as soon as it hits the pan without immediately being incinerated). Drain on paper towels or a wire rack and sprinkle with a little salt upon exiting the fryer.