It is easy to whip up this famous Hoppin John soup using affordable pantry staples and enjoy it on New Year’s day for good luck or any day of the year.
- Onions - Bell pepper - Celery - Garlic - Ginger - Red pepper flakes - Smoked bacon - Olive oil - Black-eyed beans - Chicken stock - Bay leaves
Place onion, pepper, celery, garlic, chili and ginger into a food processor and chop roughly.
Heat oil in a large cooking pot and fry bacon till it is nice and crispy. Remove a quarter of the bacon and set aside for garnish.
Add the chopped vegetable mixture to the bacon and fry the mix for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then add in the beans, stock, bay leaves and thyme, mix well, bring to the boil.
Then reduce heat and cover and simmer for between 60 -90 minutes depending on how soft you want your beans. You may need to add in more stock if it dries out.