This recipe features purple hull peas from Livesay Orchards in Porter, Oklahoma, carried by Urban Agrarian. They are similar to black-eyed peas, which can also be used in this recipe. I learned that purple hull peas, also known as shelling or field peas, are typically harvested throughout August and September. They can be frozen fresh, which is how you might find them throughout the late fall/early winter months at local stores, such as Urban Agrarian.
Ingredients
- 2 onions, diced
- 1 turnip, diced
- 1¾ cup peas – we used purple hull peas; black-eyed peas work, too
- 7 cups broth or water
- 2/3 cup rice, dry
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch cumin
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- a few strips of cooked bacon (sourced from Prairie Creek Farms, a regenerative farm located just west of Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Preparation
You can make this recipe in a large stock pot or a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot. To begin, warm a small drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until they begin to brown. Add the diced turnips, peas, broth/water, rice, bay leaf, and sea salt to the pot. If you’re cooking the soup in a pot on the stove, reduce heat to low-medium, cover the pot, and slowly simmer the soup for 45 minutes, or until the peas and rice are cooked. The longer you allow the soup to gently simmer, the more it will thicken.
If you are cooking the soup in a pressure cooker, pressure cook the soup on high for 12 minutes. Let the pressure cooker depressurize for 20 minutes before opening.
While the soup is simmering, cook the bacon, then chop into large pieces, about the size of a postage stamp.
Once the soup is done cooking, stir in the cumin and lemon juice. Serve topped with parsley and cooked bacon.
Note that you can substitute black-eyed peas for this recipe; either dried or canned will work. If you’re using dry peas, soak 1 cup of peas overnight, then drain & rinse before cooking. If you’re using canned black-eyed peas, use one 16 oz can.
