Black-eyed Pea Soup

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

from the inn's archives

New Wave Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Arkansalsa and Creme Fraiche

All over the South, people eat black-eyed peas on New Year's day to ensure good luck in the coming year. This delicious, hearty soup, faintly spicy in itself and topped with the addition of a dab of fresh hot salsa, is more interesting than the traditional combination of black-eyes, ham hocks, salt, pepper and maybe a shot of Tabasco. It's also healthier; no saturated fats except for the dab of creme fraiche, or sour cream. The salsa adds a nice jazzy southwestern note of freshness, just what a black-eyed pea needs. You'll find yourself eating this more often than once a year, sighing with satisfaction every time.

This much-loved recipe was served at the old inn, and is also in Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread. Don't be fazed by the long ingredient list; it's mostly seasonings, and preparation goes quickly.

Ingredients
cooking spray
1 lb. black-eyed peas, washed and picked over
Any well-flavored vegetable stock or water to cover (about 1 to 2 quarts)

Seasonings:
2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1 tbsp. cumin seeds, 1 tsp. dried summer savory, 1 tsp. cracked coriander seeds, f

2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup additional vegetable stock or water
1 cup Spicy Hot V8 vegetable juice
1 tablespoon. Pickapeppa or Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tamari/shoyu soy sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco or similar hot pepper sauce
2 salt-free Morga vegetarian bouillon cubes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and put through a garlic press
1 to 2 tablespoons. mild vegetable oil, such as corn or peanut
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, scrubbed or peeled, and finely diced
1 large green pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 ribs celery with leaves, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Arkansalsa Creme fraiche, sour cream, kefir cheese, or plain yogurt
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish

1. In a large, heavy soup pot, soak the beans in the stock or water to cover overnight.

2. The next day, add enough of the remaining stock or water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to very low, and add the bay leaves, oregano, basil, cumin seeds, savory, coriander seeds, and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cover the beans and let them simmer, stirring occasionally – until you can easily squash a bean against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.

3. Taste one – it will be extremely, creamily soft, though very bland at this point. Keep the soup over low heat.

4. Dissolve the tomato paste in the additional cup of stock or water, and add it to the simmering black-eyes with the V8, Pickapeppa or Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, Morga cubes, and garlic. Give the mixture a good stir to combine.

5. Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray, and in it heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until transparent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots, green pepper, and celery, and continue sautéing until they soften a bit, another 2 minutes. Stir these vegetables into the simmering soup, scraping the skilled to get out any little flavorful bits. At this point the soup will be on the thick and stewlike side; if you want it soupier, add additional stock. Now taste. Turn up the volume by adding salt and pepper and maybe a little extra good old garlic. Its flavor will really come alive at this point, but only begin to dance truly after another 15 minutes or so uncovered simmering.

6. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, and top each serving with Arkansalsa, a dab of creme fraiche or any of the other dairy choices, and a sprig of cilantro.

Serves 8 to 10 as an entree

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