Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Soup

Happy New Year!  2011 was a complete whirlwind of a year.  I quit school and moved to China for a job, and boy has it been an adventure. I’m sure 2012 will be no different.  In fact, it will probably be 2011 in reverse.  I’ll most likely be leaving my job in June, and returning to school next fall to pursue a doctorate.  Though with this life I’ve chosen, I never really know where I’ll end up!  In the meantime, I’m just going to cook, eat, and be happy.  Now onto the food!

I adore soup.  Every year when the air outside starts to cool, I become obsessed.  I talk about it way too much and want to eat it almost everyday.  Give me a hot bowl full of awesomeness, a great piece of bread and I’m sold. Since I’m sort of from the south, and am totally crazy about soup, I thought of nothing better to make this New Year’s day than black-eyed pea and ham soup.  This is a traditional dish served on New Year’s day hailing from the southern United States.  Supposedly it will bring you good luck and prosperity for the coming year.  I will probably need some of that.  A lot of recipes I looked at had carrots, and celery, and tomatoes, and peppers, and collard greens, and and AND!  Though I’m of course not opposed to any of these things, and would like to try some variations, my mom made this for me once, and I remember it only had ham, onions, and black-eyed peas. Being a bit homesick, I ultimately wanted a taste of home, and I really liked it, just as it was. The peas have a meatiness to it that pairs perfectly with the ham. Like many soups, I’m willing to bet this will taste even better reheated. Some cornbread would’ve been a great pairing with this soup, but I’ve made corn bread two or three times in the past few weeks, so we just had a slice of French bread.  I have a feeling this will become a tradition of my own in the years to come, and I’m sure I will branch out a bit and try some new variations.  Here’s to 2012!

Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Soup

Inspired by Southern Food

Ingredients

16 ounces frozen black eyed peas

4 ounces cooked black forest ham, diced into small cubes

5 cups water

1 small to medium sized yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

A pinch of ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon sugar

Salt, to taste (I used about ½ a teaspoon)

Directions

Place water and ham in a large pot, and bring to a boil.  Lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes (now is a good time to prep the onions and garlic!).  Add remaining ingredients, and bring back to a boil.  Cover tightly and simmer for 45 minutes or until peas are tender.