If you live outside of the South, you may rarely encounter Black-Eyed Peas (also known as cowpeas and southernpeas). It’s worth searching them out. Like many of the best Southern dishes, black-eyed peas were brought to this continent with Africans during slavery, and over time they were interwoven with New World ingredients to create dishes that are iconic to our regional cuisines. Hoppin’ John is a famous Southern dish of black-eyed peas traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve with cornbread to bring good luck for the coming year.
Black-eyed peas are more of a bean than a pea, really. They have a uniquely nutty flavor. They hold their shape well when cooked and I find they cook much faster than other beans, even without soaking. High in fiber, protein, and iron, these legumes are worth working into your meal repertoire. This soup is hearty and comforting. With smokey ham, spicy green chilis, and a touch of honey, this hits all the flavor points. This delicious meal is easy to throw together and at less than $2 per serving it is a budget-friendly meal perfect for serving a group.
Variations:
- Add chopped collard greens, corn or summer or winter squash
- Spice it up more with cajun seasoning or hot sauce
- Serve it with rice
- Substitute tasso for the ham
Southern Ham and Black Eye Pea Soup with Green Chili and Honey
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 3 1/2 quarts 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Southern
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Smokey, savory, spicy and slightly sweet, this hearty and comforting soup will be your new favorite.
Ingredients
1.5–2 lb Smoked ham shank
1/2 lb dry black eye peas, soaked (see note)
10 cups of water, plus more if needed
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
1 can mild (or hot) diced green chilis
2 Tablespoons honey
5–8 large carrots
5 celery stalks
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
Instructions
Simmer the ham shank in water with the bay leaf and thyme for 2 hours while covered. Alternatively, you could put these items in a crockpot on low in the morning and let it slow cook all day. Remove the shank and set aside.
Strain the broth (optional). Add the black eye peas, carrots, celery, and onion. Bring up to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add the green chilis, green bell pepper, and honey and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Season generously with salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste. Check the beans, if still crunchy, simmer for a bit longer.
This soup (and in my opinion all soup) is best served the next day. Enjoy it with cornbread or buttered rolls.
Notes
To Soak Beans
Place them in a container covered with more water than you think you need in the fridge overnight OR put in a pot with water, bring to simmer, cover, remove from heat and let sit for 2 hours.
If you don’t use enough water, or your container is tall and narrow, the beans will rise up and out of the water as they soak and expand and you’ll have a bunch of unsoaked crunchy beans. Can’t tell you how many restaurant cooks I’ve seen make this mistake.
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