Do you observe all of the superstitions that come with the new year?
Don’t throw your trash out until January 2nd — nothing leaves the house or you are setting yourself up for a year of losing things!
Make a LOT of noise at midnight, maybe with pots and pans in the middle of the street — this scares away evil spirits from your upcoming year.
Don’t spend money, pay bills or make loans on New Year’s Day — or else you’ll be spending too much in the new year.
There are plenty of other New Year’s superstitions, but the most common ones that people observe are eating black-eyed peas and greens for health and wealth. My biggest issue is that I don’t like black-eyed peas, so I look for new recipes that cloak the black-eyed pea taste and prove very tasty, as surely there is some superstition against eating food you don’t like on New Year’s Day. Who wants to risk a year of bad food?!
Today’s recipe includes both black-eyed peas and shredded kale, and promises to be enjoyed even if you don’t like either one! I am a fan of a tasty white bean soup, and this is a variation of a recipe that I’ve been making for years.
New Year's Day: Superstitious Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion or 2 cups, diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced carrots To save time, you can start with pre-shredded carrots.
- 1 pound small yellow potatoes about 2 cups, diced
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 15.5-ounce cans great Northern beans, drained
- 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained
- 1 15.5-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained
- 1 teaspoon "Better than Bouillon" ham flavor mixed into 1 cup water
- 1 cup Tuscan (flat) kale cut into thin strips I take the stalk out, roll the kale up, and then slice it easily into thin strips. If you can't find flat kale, use a few handfuls, chopped up, of any variety.
- 8 ounces Boar's Head smoked ham Like the kale, I stack the ham, roll it up, and and slice it into thin strips
- 2 cups finely shredded cabbage You can buy this in the pre-packaged lettuce section, called Angel Hair cabbage.
- 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon salt-free Cajun seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh thyme tied in a bundle
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Crumbled bacon, diced green or white onions, and hot sauce to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Dice up onion, celery, carrots and potatoes. Be sure to cut potatoes very small and thin to ensure that they cook properly. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the diced vegetables. Cook until soft, about 12 to15 minutes.
- Place the cooked vegetables in an 8-quart stockpot and add the 5 cans of beans. Add the 1 cup of water with the "Better Than Bouillon" ham dissolved in it (or close to dissolved!). Cook over medium heat.
- Slice the kale and ham and add to the stockpot. If you did not buy presliced cabbage, slice the cabbage into thin strips and add to the soup mixture.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except for the vinegar and garnishes.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. The soup will get more liquid-y as it cooks. Taste to see if you would like to add more salt, as this recipe can use a lot of salt, and it depends on your taste.
- Finish the soup with 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. This one ingredient does SO much to the soup to brighten it.
- Serve with crumbled bacon, diced green onion, white onion, and/or hot sauce as garnishes, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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