Soups are a comforting, nutrient-dense addition to any diet. This hearty soup is an aromatic blend of herbs and spices cooked with black-eyed peas and a variety of tasty vegetables. Different textures from the pureed soup and the crunchy gremolata will appease the palate.
You could use canned, frozen, or even dried black-eyed peas. Using dried peas will require soaking overnight and cooking for longer.
Traditionally, gremolata is a dressing made of grated lemon, garlic, and parsley. In this dish, we substitute the parsley with fresh carrot tops and add macadamia nuts to add a rich, nutty crunch.
Sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots provide fiber and nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamin C, and quercetin. Black-eyed peas are packed with nutrition including calcium, folate, vitamin A, magnesium, and more. Macadamia nuts contain protein and fats, and an array of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, iron, and manganese. Not only are the herbs and spices flavorful, they also are medicinal in their own right, each with their own unique properties.
Make Ahead: The finished soup and gremolata can be refrigerated, separately, for up to one week. The soup can be frozen for up to three months. Defrost and warm the soup over low heat, making the gremolata before serving.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced (about ⅓ - ½ cup), save carrot tops if possible
- 1 small fresh red chili, seeded and sliced, save half for gremolata
- ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4 cardamom pods
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1-32 oz carton low sodium vegetable broth (or use homemade)
Gremolata
- ½ fresh red chili (from above)
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely chopped
- 6 pitted green olives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons carrot tops or parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup raw macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation
- Add ghee, onion, garlic, sweet potato, carrot, red chili, thyme, cumin, cardamom pods, salt, and pepper to a stockpot. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.
- Add the black-eyed peas to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover the pot with the lid for 20 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, make the gremolata by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- After 20 minutes, remove pot from heat and blend using an immersion blender or blender, like a Vitamix.
- Press soup through a colander, reheat, and serve with gremolata on top. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt and drizzle olive oil on top (optional).
Add ghee, onion, garlic, sweet potato, carrot, red chili, thyme, cumin, cardamom pods, salt, and pepper to a stockpot.
Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.
Add the black-eyed peas to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover the pot with the lid for 20 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, make the gremolata.
Mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
After 20 minutes, remove pot from heat and blend using an immersion blender or blender, like a Vitamix. Press soup through a colander, reheat soup.
Serve with gremolata on top. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt and drizzle olive oil on top (optional).
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories: 226, Fat: 12.1g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 8.2mg, Fiber: 5.3g, Protein: 6.8g, Carbohydrates: 25g, Sodium: 558mg
