HOPPIN’ JOHN SOUP
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas (they don’t need to be soaked)
- 8 cups (2 quarts) Chicken Stock
- 1 ham hock
- ⅓ pound smoked ham, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 dried whole chile peppers, or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups sliced fresh okra, or one 10-ounce package of frozen sliced okra, thawed
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
THIS  GOOD LUCK SOUP recipe is adapted from a Junior League of Women cookbook, vintage 1991 Jackson, Mississippi. The soup is excellent: smoky flavor punctuated by smooth beans, okra’s silken crunch, and the bite of hot chiles. It’s traditional to make it on December 31, so the flavors can blend, then to eat it sometime during the first day of the New Year with lots of hot buttered corn bread.
- TO COOK
- Combine the black-eyed peas, stock, ham hock, ham cubes, onions, green pepper, celery, garlic, and chile peppers in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- When the peas are tender, stir in the okra and salt, bring back to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low again and simmer, covered, for 30 more minutes.
- The soup should be thickening and you should stir it frequently to prevent scorching. Remove the cover and cook, stirring, until creamy thick—as long as 10 minutes.
- TO SERVE
- If you plan to serve the soup immediately, remove the ham hock and chiles and ladle it into bowls. If you are saving it to serve later, let it cool in the pot, then refrigerate it. When you’re ready to serve the soup, reheat it carefully, stirring often, then ladle it into bowls, not forgetting to remove the ham hock and chile peppers.