Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed (do not soak)
8 cups chicken stock
8 ounces diced hog jowl (can substitute bacon)
12 ounces sliced smoke sausage
1 onion, diced
1 green jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
1 red jalapeno or red Fresno chili, seeded and minced
1 head of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 pieces (3 to 4 inches) kombu (optional)
Salt, to taste
Instructions:
In frying pan, brown and render diced hog jowls. (My slow cooker insert can be heated like a frying pan, so I just use the insert.)
Once you have some fat rendering, add sliced smoke sausage and brown. Once brown, remove hog jowls and sausage, set aside and add diced onions to the pan. Stir onions in pan, when they start to get translucent add garlic and half the minced peppers. Save the rest of the minced peppers for garnish. Stir for a couple of minutes and then transfer to the slow cooker.
Add hog jowls and sausage to slow cooker. Add black eyed-peas, chicken stock, cumin, chili powder and black pepper to slow cooker. Do not salt. Stir, add kombu (optional). You can pull it out after it has been in there a couple of hours or you can leave it in and it will dissolve.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or till tender. Salt to taste. When serving, garnish with minced peppers.
From dfw.com