I Miss Texas: Red Pepper, Okra, and Black-Eyed Pea Soup
I wish I were someone who could suss her way through the grocery store letting what's on sale and what looks best inspire her. The times I have done that, I look in the refrigerator two days later to find an artichoke and some dark chocolate and wonder how exactly I thought I would cook dinner from these.
With its overpriced produce that is not exactly farm fresh, the New York grocery store poses a particular challenge; it's rare to be inspired by either good looks or a good deal. Imagine my surprise this Monday night when I arrived at the local C-Town, recipe for a quick vegetable soup in hand, and beautiful red peppers were being given away. When I saw the mountainous pile of okra, I was compelled to grab some of that, too. Suddenly, my soup wanted to sing an entirely different tune. I picked up a fragrant bundle of cilantro, a can of tomatoes diced with jalapenos, and some black-eyed peas. Perhaps I was missing the southern state I'd just returned from or was having a prescient moment, sensing the cold that would seize my spirits and sinuses just a day later, but my soup was getting spicy.
Back at home, I circled the pot excitedly, so proud of my first off-the-cuff soup. The sweet red peppers kept the jalapeno-spiced tomatoes in check and the okra thickened the soup beautifully. Later in the week, slumped over a bowl with the cold, the sight of the okra reminded me of the cornmeal crusted version I'd eaten hot from the frier just a few days earlier at the State Fair. And that made me feel a little better.
Red Pepper, Okra, and Black-Eyed Pea Soup
olive oil
onion
2 or 3 fat cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper
2 celery ribs
2 carrots
2 red peppers
about 2 cups okra
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (Rotel or Del Monte)
3 cups chicken stock or broth
15.5 oz can black-eyed peas
10 oz box frozen corn (or fresh, of course, if it's in season)
1. Over medium-high heat, coat the bottom of a large soup pot with a thin film of olive oil. Add minced onion and while that's turning translucent, mince the garlic and add to the pot with the dried red pepper.
2. While that's cooking, chop the carrot and celery on the diagonal (looks a little prettier) and add. Continue this pattern of letting the vegetables in the pot soften and cook down a bit while you chop and add the red pepper and okra.
3. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the black-eyed peas (no need to drain them) and frozen corn. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Serves 6; or, serves one on a rainy night, three days of at-work lunches, and some for the freezer
Back at home, I circled the pot excitedly, so proud of my first off-the-cuff soup. The sweet red peppers kept the jalapeno-spiced tomatoes in check and the okra thickened the soup beautifully. Later in the week, slumped over a bowl with the cold, the sight of the okra reminded me of the cornmeal crusted version I'd eaten hot from the frier just a few days earlier at the State Fair. And that made me feel a little better.
Red Pepper, Okra, and Black-Eyed Pea Soup
olive oil
onion
2 or 3 fat cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper
2 celery ribs
2 carrots
2 red peppers
about 2 cups okra
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (Rotel or Del Monte)
3 cups chicken stock or broth
15.5 oz can black-eyed peas
10 oz box frozen corn (or fresh, of course, if it's in season)
1. Over medium-high heat, coat the bottom of a large soup pot with a thin film of olive oil. Add minced onion and while that's turning translucent, mince the garlic and add to the pot with the dried red pepper.
2. While that's cooking, chop the carrot and celery on the diagonal (looks a little prettier) and add. Continue this pattern of letting the vegetables in the pot soften and cook down a bit while you chop and add the red pepper and okra.
3. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the black-eyed peas (no need to drain them) and frozen corn. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Serves 6; or, serves one on a rainy night, three days of at-work lunches, and some for the freezer
Comments
Your soup reminded me of an easy soup that I made a lot last winter...
If you have onions, some frozen chicken; cans of crushed tomatoes (or a jar of sauce), a can of chickpeas and some couscous in the cupboard; and at least some of the herbs and spices mentioned below, you can make a great "Libyan Soup," that only needs bread and a salad to make a whole meal. The recipe is based on one that was published in the New York Times last year. It's one of those great peasant dishes that accommodates whatever ingredients you have on hand...
Fry a lot of chopped onions in olive oil in a big pot. Add some finely cut-up chicken. Fry a bit more. Add a can or two of crushed tomatoes (or some kind of tomato-y equivalent), at least two tablespoons of sweet paprika, some hot sauce or hot pepper to taste, a few threads of saffron if your budget runs to it, and some water to give a thick soup. When the soup is boiling, stir in half a cup of couscous, which cooks in a few minutes. Then add a cup or so of canned chickpeas. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, hot pepper, a pinch of sugar, some chopped parsley and/or cilantro, and a pinch (or more) of dried mint. If the soup is too thick, add a little water; if it's too thin, you could add a bit more couscous. Enjoy.
Posted by: Ann | October 20, 2006 7:53 PM
Oh lord, that is one awesome-looking soup.
Posted by: AK | October 21, 2006 10:43 AM
Ann, that soup sounds wonderful. And I love eating like a peasant!
AK, I thought of you fondly when I was eating deep-fried things in the Lone Star State!
Posted by: Sarah | October 21, 2006 1:20 PM
My boyfriend, Ashu, and I made this soup to try and conjure a cold, snuggly day. Here in Miami, the warm weather sometimes makes it difficult to get in the holiday spirit. Your soup did the trick!
Posted by: Melissa Dorothy | November 26, 2006 2:05 PM