Recipe: Black Eye Peas Soup

 I have been making soups often recently.  I love the hearty winter foods and this type of a soup is right in my wheelhouse.  As a northerner, I do not have much experience with black eye peas so this soup was an experiment.  It turn out wonderful.  It was refreshing while still be hearty and filling.  Not to mention the new year is right around the corner, it seems a tradition in the south to cook black eye peas on new years.  I am not sure the connection but here it is!


Black Eye Pea Soup

5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 tomatoes
1 red pepper (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 poblano pepper (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1/2 of an onion (chopped)
3 cups of black eye peas
1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of oil
1/2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of liquid smoke

In a pot, bring 1/2 tablespoon of oil to heat at med temperature.  Add the garlic, onion, liquid smoke and soy sauce and cook until it begins to caramelize.  Add in 1 of the tomatoes, shopped into pieces of most any size.  Allow to cook until the tomato begins to break down (about 5 minutes).  Pour into a blender and puree until smooth.

In the same pot, add the remaining oil, red pepper, and poblano pepper.  Cook until the peppers are soft on med heat.  Add the black eye peas and remaining tomato (cut into small cubes), salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5-8 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.  Add the blender mixture, vegetable broth, red wine vinegar and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.