Black Eyed Pea Soup

Happy New Year, everyone! Kristen shares a delicious and traditional soup for the new year that’s good to eat all the way to Spring. Enjoy! -Kimi

The weeks leading up to New Year’s are spent in a bustle gathering gifts, attending holiday parties, cooking and eating. From Thanksgiving until the end of the year, there seems to be an emphasis on indulging in sweet treats and more food than our stomachs can handle. January first comes around and I find myself craving vegetables and nourishing foods. This black eyed pea soup is just that, a bowl of hearty goodness filled with leafy greens, comforting stock and really any root veggies that you have lying around.

The weeks leading up to New Year’s are spent in a bustle gathering gifts, attending holiday parties, cooking and eating. From Thanksgiving until the end of the year, there seems to be an emphasis on indulging in sweet treats and more food than our stomachs can handle. January first comes around and I find myself craving vegetables and nourishing foods. This black eyed pea soup is just that, a bowl of hearty goodness filled with leafy greens, comforting stock and really any root veggies that you have lying around.

Black eyed pea soup became a New Year’s tradition in the Southern states after the Civil war ended. The North had destroyed all the crops in the south but the black eyed peas and the cured ham. Those who were fortunate enough to still have these foods available considered themselves lucky and made it a tradition to consume them on New Year’s. So as the end of the year approaches I want to share with you this simple soup recipe, in hopes to bring you luck and prosperity in the upcoming year.

Black Eyed Pea Soup

serves 4

2 tablespoons of butter
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 ½ cups of carrots chopped into rounds
a couple of handfuls of chopped greens (collard, kale or spinach)
1-2 cups of black eyed peas
a few pinches of fresh thyme, oregano or parsley
3 cups of chicken stock
sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven. As soon as the butter melts, throw in the onions, saute for 3 minutes, add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. If the onions and garlic start to brown, add a splash of water.

2. Toss the carrots into the mix and saute another 5 minutes. Then add the chopped greens, black eyed peas and fresh herbs. Carefully pour the stock into the pot, bring to a slight boil then simmer for 12-15 minutes.

3. Sprinkle in a pinch of sea salt and some fresh ground pepper to taste and serve.

A very simple recipe, that still has elegance and flavor. What a wonderful way to start the year, especially if you stayed up late the night before and may still be recovering from any midnight celebration. The soup can be made the day before or frozen for freshness then removed from the freezer December 30th to reheat for lunch on the 1st. Frozen black eyed pea soup would be a great gift idea for a friend, a wholesome meal for them to start their year with along with a wish of luck and prosperity.

Alternatives: Substitute 1 cup of broth with 1 cup of dry white wine. Swap the carrots for parsnips or turnips, or add them along with the carrots. Add 2 cups of chopped or crushed tomatoes.

Kristin Jukes blogs at The Seasonal Family about the changes of life as a family from season to season. After the birth of her and her husband’s first child in 2008, she began to slowly change their families diet to one high in whole foods. With various food allergies, many of the recipes are wheat free, egg free, peanut free and refined sugar free. Now, a mommy of two little ones, her site content continues to expand to cover crafting, homeschooling while striving to be a Godly wife and mother.

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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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