Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is a Southern tradition. If you walk into any grocery store this weekend, you'll find that cans of them on display in prominent places. Eat them, superstition tells us, and you too can enjoy a lucky and prosperous year. Apparently, the tradition dates back to the Civil War. When Sherman's troops marched through the South, destroying everything, including crops, they overlooked the fields of black-eyed peas. The peas, once used to feed animals, became a primary staple in the Southern diet. How exactly it came to be associated with the dawn of a new year does not seem to be clear.
While I remember my mom occasionally serving black-eyed peas on New Year's Day in the name of fun and holiday tradition, I have never done so myself. When I saw a recipe for Hoppin' John soup while paging through a Southern Living magazine at my parent's house, I thought that this weekend would be a good opportunity to try to incorporate some black-eyed peas into our diet. Admittedly, by New Year's Day, the soup will have been entirely consumed. Thus, we may not experience any of the luck and prosperity benefits. However, we are absorbing the nutritional benefits. Those little babies are really good for you! They house high levels of potassium, iron, and fiber. Oh, and protein. A half cup of black-eyed peas has about 6 grams of protein.
Without further ado, this recipe was adapted from Southern Living's Hoppin' John Soup recipe. This soup is typically made with ham or turkey. I added in a touch of liquid smoke to give it that smoky, meaty flavor.
Hoppin' John Soup
8 ounces dry black-eyed peas
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1/2 - 1 tsp liquid smoke
1 bay leaf
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your taste preference)
3 tbs olive oil
1 sweet potato, skinned and cut into bite size cubes
3/4-1 cup carrots, chopped into bite size pieces
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small bunch collard greens, coarsely chopped
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1) Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Simmer together until peas are softened, about 45 minutes.
2) Saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add in garlic, jalapeno peppers, and celery. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add cayenne and saute for 1-2 more minutes. Take a spoonful of stock from the large pot and add to the mixture in order to deglaze the pan. Add the sauteed mixture to the simmering black-eyed peas. I did this after the peas had been simmering for about 30 minutes.
3) After the peas have begun to soften, add the sweet potato and carrots to the mixture. Simmer together for another 20-30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are softened.
4) Add collard greens, peppers, and vinegar to the pot. Continue simmering until greens are softened.
Serve this soup over a cooked grain such as barley or rice.
**If you want to ramp up the yum, serve with cornbread croutons. Simply find a vegan cornbread recipe and prepare according to instructions. (I recommend a recipe like THIS. Lots of vegan recipes are complicated and require unnecessary ingredients. This one is super simple and much like the recipe I use.) After allowing the prepared cornbread to cool, remove from the pan and cube into large, bite-size pieces. Spread the cubes in a single layer over a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees. Every five minutes, stir the cubes, allowing them to toast on all sides. Remove from oven when the cornbread has turned golden brown and has become crisp. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
