Sunday's Soup

New Year's Prosperity Soup

When I was growing up, it was a tradition to eat blackeyed peas on New Year's Day. In the south it is believed that this little pea brings about prosperity. I was told that for every pea I ate, an extra dollar would come to me in the new year. Now that may just have been a ploy to get me to eat them, but I wasn't about to take any chances and ate as many as I could. I still do!!! 

Today's soup is a mix of lots of good things, cabbage,

carrots, celery and leeks. So if the soup doesn't bring about prosperity, at least it may aide in a healthy diet. This recipe makes a VERY large pot of soup. I like to freeze it in smaller containers and break it out over the winter.
The ingredients;
1 16oz. package of dried blackeyed peas
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium head of cabbage chopped
1 pound of carrots sliced
2 leeks chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 cup of uncooked wild rice
2 cloves of garlic chopped
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of dried sage
3 large cubes of Knorr Vegetable Bouillon
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by soaking the peas overnight. If you by chance forget to soak overnight, put them in a pot and cover well with water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place lid on pot, turn off heat and allow to sit for one hour. This method works really well.
Once the peas are ready, saute the leeks and the celery in oil until tender. Add the remainder of the ingredients and 20 to 24 cups of water. I know this sounds like a lot, but remember that the rice is uncooked and it will soak up some of the water. This is also a rather large pot of soup.

Bring the soup to a good rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for approximately 1 hour or until rice is cooked and the peas are tender. If you would like a meat version of this soup, add some ham or a ham hock to the mix.

You'll end up with a soup that is very rich in vitamins, great for the winter months, and who knows, it just may bring about a little luck in the New Year. What do you have to loose?
Enjoy,
Rhonda