Black-eyed pea soup with arkansalsa and creme fraiche

8 entrees

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 x Pam cooking spray
1 pounds Black-eyed peas
2 quarts Vegetable stock or water
2 Bay leaves
½ teaspoon Oregano, dried
½ teaspoon Basil, dried
1 tablespoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Summer savory, dried
1 teaspoon Cracked coriander seeds
Fresh black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 cup Additional vegetable stock
1 cup Spicy Hot V8
1 tablespoon Pickapeppa or Worcestershire
1 teaspoon Tamari/shoyu soy sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 Salt-free Morga vegetarian
Bouillon cubes *
3 Cloves of garlic, peeled
& put through a press
1½ tablespoon Mild vegetable oil, such as
Corn or peanut
1 large Onion, chopped
2 mediums Carrots, scrubbed or peeled,
And finely diced
1 large Green pepper, steemed,
Seeded, and diced
2 Ribs celery with leaves,
Finely diced
Salt and fresh pepper /taste
Garlic oil *
Arkansalsa (see recipe)
Creme Fraiche, sour cream,
Kefir cheese, or plain
Yogurt for garnish

Directions

1. Spray a large heavy pot with the Pam, and in it soak the beans in the stock or water to cover overnight.

2. The next day, add enough of the remaining stock or water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to very low, and add the bay leaves, oregano, basil, cumin seeds, savory, coriander seeds, and several generous grinds of black pepper.

Cover the beans and let them simmer, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly soft and cooked -- until you can easily squash a bean against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Taste one -- it will be extremely, creamily soft, though very bland at this point.

Don't worry, things are about to get much more interesting in Black-Eyed Pea land. Keep the soup over low heat.

3. Dissolve the tomato paste in the additional cup of stock or water, and add it to the simmering black-eyes with the V8, Pick apeppa or Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, Morga cubes, and garlic. Give the mixture a good stir to combine.

4. Spray a 10-inch skillet with Pam, and in it heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until transparent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots, green pepper, and celery, and continue sauteing until they soften a bit, another 2 minutes. Stir these vegetables into the simmering soup, scraping the skillet to get out any little flavorful bits. At this point the soup will be on the thick and stewlike side; if you want it soupier, add addiitional stock. Now taste. Turn up the volume by adding salt and pepper and maybe a little good old garlic oil. Its flavor will really come alive at this point, but only begin to dance truly after another 15 minutes or so of uncovered simmering.

5. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, and top each serving with Arkansalsa, a dab of creme fraiche or any of the other dairy choices, and a sprig of cilantro. pass additional salsa and creme fraiche, or other dairy dabs, at the table. * MORGA: This is my one major concession to convenience foods -- Morga Vegetable Bouillon Cubes, the salt-free variety. Purchase them at a natural foods store. They are Swiss-made, and good. Always keep some on hand, but dont rely on them too often, or your soups will become monotonous.

* Araknsalsa: See recipe

* GARLIC OIL: If you make one garlic preparation, it should be this.

We always have a couple of cups of this in the fridge at the reastaurant, and during busy times of the year go through several quarts a week. It is so handy, and vvirtually a secret weapon in seasoning. We brush fish with Garlic Oil before baking them; we stir it into soups at the last minute; we add it to meat and chicken marinades; to sauces and vinaigrettes; to everthing you might imagine and more. Once you get the garlic cloves peeled, this is a breeze to prepare, provided you have a food processor. See recipe for Garlic Oil Submitted By BRENT WILLIAMS On 11-19-94

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