Recipe: Gina's Hoppin' John Soup (using ham, collard greens, rice and tomatoes)

GINA'S HOPPIN' JOHN SOUP

[GINA] "Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has bee telling me that if you don't eat black- eyed peas on New Year's Day you'll have a bad year ahead of you. Now, when I was younger I didn't care a bit. I was going through that awkward stage anyway - how much worse could it be? But as I got older, I learned to love that black- eyed pea tradition, convinced that my year was going to be fantastic! And you know what's funny? I tell my girls the same thing. Who says traditions and superstitions aren't effective? Not to mention that black- eyed peas are rich in calcium and vitamin A. What could be bad about that? Of course, this being a Gina recipe, I added in my favorite collard greens. . . .Mmm, even better."

1 small bunch (about 1 pound) collard greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces smoked ham steak, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups low- sodium chicken broth
1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
1 dried bay leaf
Dash of hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan cheese, grated, for topping

Remove the stems and center ribs from the collard greens. Stack about six leaves on top of each other, roll into a cigar shape, and slice into thin ribbons.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, toss in the ham, onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, roughly 4 minutes.

Sprinkle in the red-pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Add the collard greens, and saute until they begin to soften.

Pour in the chicken broth, the black-eyed peas, and the can of tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.

Stir the rice into the soup to warm. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Spoon into bowls, and sprinkle each bowl with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4-6 servings
Source: The Neelys' Celebration Cookbook by Pat Neely, Gina Neely and Ann Volkwein