If you’re anything like me, when the calendar flipped over to December this week, you reacted a little something like this: “WTF?? Are you sure?  Is it a leap year??  What planet is this??? *runs screaming through the streets wearing nothing but a Santa hat*”

Yes folks, we have reached the final days of 2015 – and soup season is upon us!

Traditionally on January 1st, Southerners will eat a stew packed with black-eyed peas and collard greens to bring them wealth and prosperity in the new year.  Even though 2016 won’t arrive for a few more weeks, we figure that we need all the luck we can get, so we’ll just start eating it now for good measure.

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

• 1 cup dry black-eyed peas (or 1 can)
• 4 cups water
• 1 large yellow onion (diced)
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 3 celery stalks (diced)
• 1 carrot (diced)
• 1 green bell pepper (diced)
• 1 canned chipotle pepper (minced) or Chipotle powder to taste
• i can diced tomatoes (15oz)
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt (optional)

1. If you’re starting off with dry peas (recommended), add beans to a saucepan with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour until soft.  Drain, rinse, and set aside.
2. Heat a glug or two of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Sautee onions for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and sautee for 1-2 minutes.  Add peppers, celery, carrots and sautee for 5 minutes.  Add dry spices and sautee for another 2 minutes. (Whew)
3. Add the diced tomatoes, 4 cups water, tomato paste, and bay leaf to the pot and stir well over sustained medium heat.  Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 45 minutes.
4. Test beans and veggies to confirm tenderness and add additional seasoning to taste.  De-stem the collard greens and slice into ribbons, then add to the soup to simmer for another 15 minutes.
5. Serve it bare or over rice for a more traditional southern approach.