R2R, Here's the Black Eyed Pea and Andouille Soup

Black-Eyed Pea and Andouille Soup

I got the base recipe from a friend and made some changes and additions. The ham stock is really a must for this soup. It’s worth buying an inexpensive bone in ham and/or save ham scraps and bones. Some stores sell bones and shanks like Langenstein’s in Nola and Joey’s in Laffy. You can also ask some butchers if they have any.

(Measurements are approximate. Nothing needs to be exact. I make the stock in a much larger quantity than is below. I use about 6 bones/ shanks or so and some ham meat scraps if I have any. I put it all in an 18 quart roaster and let it go slow and low overnight.)

Ham Stock

1 or 2 meaty ham bones
Large splash of red wine (approx 4 oz)
Large onion with skin (quartered)
3 cloves of garlic (skin removed but add skin to pot as well)
5 peppercorns
Fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
Fresh thyme


Put ham bones in stock pot. Pour red wine over bones and cook for a few minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients above, cover with cold water and cook for 3 hours. Take the bones out, remove the meat and reserve (if you wish-I don’t use it) and return bones to the pot.

Add:

1 large stalk of celery w/ leaves cut in thirds
1 carrot cut in thirds
A little more onion (1 small or med & can also add some ends, etc if available)

Cook for 4 - 5 more hours

Strain, chill and remove fat. Reduce if you are freezing or want a stronger stock. It’s pretty strong, though.

Soup

Olive oil
¼ lb bacon (or prosciutto or tasso or whatever you like, diced (I think I usually add a bit more)
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced

Ham stock (and reserved ham from recipe above, if you wish)
1 lb black-eyed peas, soaked
Ham hock
2 cups of sliced celery
2 whole jalapeno peppers (or hot pepper of choice) *you can leave whole and remove or dice and leave them in.
3 bay leaves
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme

1 to 1½ lbs carrots, sliced (I don’t add carrots)
3 medium potatoes (one diced and use the other two to shred into soup-I don’t use potatoes, but some folks like them)
extra ham (optional)
@ ½ pound andouille cut into bite sized pieces (I don’t use a lot because I don’t want to overpower the ham stock flavor)
salt & pepper to taste, if you wish.
*I’ve never needed salt. The meats are salt. Usually don’t need pepper either due to the andouille and the peppers.

Pre-soak black-eyed peas either over night or in warm water for several hours to soften. Drain.

Sauté the bacon and onion in a little oil in a large stock pot until the bacon starts to crisp and the onions are opaque. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the ham stock, ham hock, celery, hot peppers and seasonings. Bring soup just to a boil and then immediately lower heat and simmer for an hour or so.


Add the peas, diced potato and carrots and simmer for 1 to 2 hours longer, or until the peas are to your liking. (Soaked peas may not take more than an hour to be cooked.) If adding the shredded potatoes, peel the two remaining potatoes and shred into soup to thicken if you want a thick version. Remove ham hock from pot, remove the meat from the hock and return the meat to the pot, if you wish. Also, add reserved ham from the stock recipe above. Add the andouille or smoked sausage so that it simmers about 30 minutes. Cook until beans are tender but not mushy. Add extra ham if desired during the last hour of cooking.

Adjust seasonings. Remove and discard hot peppers and bay leaves before serving. Skim any grease from the top, also.

Serve with or without rice.