Hoppin John Soup

I’ve been wanting for several years to cook a good luck meal for the New Year. I decide to final do it this year. I had read somewhere that a New Year meal to bring luck should consist of Black eye peas for Money, greens also for money and pork for progress amongst other things.

I found this recipe in Southern Living that consisted of those very ingredients.

 

I was super excited to try the soup. I never used smoked turkey before. I found out later the brand you use makes a big difference in taste. The one I used was soooo salty. The beans tasted wonderful  when I tried them before I added the rest of the ingredients. I was also surprised how quickly they cooked. I'm so use to soaking beans overnight and was a little skeptical that I didn't have to do that for this recipe. They did take a full hour rather than the 45 minutes stated in the recipe. But that could have been how high I had the flame. But when I added the turkey and the ham to the soup. The soup came out very salty. I think had I not added the turkey at the end the soup would have been fine. I learned I could have added a potato to the soup and that would have soaked up some of the salt. I never got to try it out, I already had two meals with it as it was and just couldn't face another if the potato didn't work.

 

I later found out that poultry shouldn't be used for a New Year meal. Because they scratch backwards it is believed it would bring upon regret or dwelling on the past. Hmmmm.... maybe that is why the soup was so salty LOL.

Here is the link for the recipe.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/hoppin-john-soup-50400000125886/

Here is the recipe just in case.

• 1/2 (16-oz.) package dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and sorted
• 2 pounds smoked turkey wings
• 1/3 cup finely chopped country ham
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 (16-oz.) package fresh collard greens, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Hot cooked brown rice
  Cornbread Croutons
• Flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation

1. 1. Bring peas, turkey wings, and 6 cups water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 45 minutes or until peas are tender, skimming any foam from surface. Drain peas, reserving 1 1/4 cups liquid. Remove turkey meat from bones. Chop meat.
2. 2. Sauté ham and next 7 ingredients in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add peas, reserved 1 1/4 cups liquid, turkey meat, collards, hot sauce, and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice with Cornbread Croutons and parsley.

Thanks for stopping by..
XOXO
Esther