Black-Eyed Pea & Hambone Soup

This one is a favorite in our house. It is low cost, healthy with the vegies & peas & puts a lowly hambone (preferably with some good gristly bits & meat clinging to it) to great use. Don't fear the grisstly connective tissue - it cooks down & gives wonderful body to the soup/stew. Seriously. Giving the hambone a nice browning in the pot is key to getting a rich flavorful brown soup. Serve with a good crispy cornbread for a wonderful meal. Even better when made a day ahead of time - doubles well.

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1  ham bone (smoked ham with some meat, gristle & skin if possible, like the smoked ham's bone & the shank end)
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
•  water, to cover ham bone
• 1  onion, large yellow, chopped
• 2  stalks celery, chopped
• 32  ounces  frozen black-eyed peas (peas & snaps if you can get them)
• 2  bell peppers, diced
• 4  cayenne bell peppers, coarsely chopped (your choice on hot peppers)
•  salt, to taste
•  white pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place ham bone in soup pot large enough to allow bone to be fully covered by water. Add olive oil & brown ham bone until dark brown on one side. Add onions & saute until translucent & just beginning to brown. Add water to cover ham bone by 1/2 inch, cover pot & bring to boil then simmer 45 minutes.
2. Pour black-eyed peas into pot with ham bone & onions. Add green & cayenne peppers. Leave lid off & bring to boil then reduce to simmer for 60 minutes.
3. Remove ham bone & any other chunks of ham. Trim bone of meat & chop fine. Add back to pot (along with skin if you like the texture). Season to taste with salt & white pepper. Black pepper will do just fine if you do not have white pepper on hand.