Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens Soup

I looooove my sister Meachie.  She knew I had my eye on B. Smith's cookbook since we first dined in her restaurant back in 2009.  I couldn't stomach paying over $20 for a cookbook though so it was on my wish list for a loooong time until she surprised me with it.  Now I can't figure out which recipes to try and when.  I started with an adaptation of her recipe, "Braise of Black-Eyed Peas and Greens Soup" because the ingredients were mostly made of kitchen staples and I simply had a taste for black-eyed peas.  Combine this soup with cornbread and you have a down home Southern meal.  This soup gets an A++ from the kids too!  Enjoy!

You will need:

2 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 large sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced (not shown)

2 cups celery, diced (about 4 stalks)

1 cup carrots, chopped (about 3 carrots - not shown)

2 bay leaves

3 cups collard greens, chopped

2 turkey drummettes, bones removed, meat diced

6 cups chicken broth

4 tsp. jerk seasoning

1 tsp. oregano

1. The night before, place dried black beans in a pot and cover with water.  Let soak overnight.  Beans will swell and soften.  Drain and rinse.
2. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Saute diced onion, garlic, celery and carrots in oil until tender (about 8 minutes).
4. Add bay leaves, collard greens and turkey to the pot.  Saute another 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken broth, black-eyed peas, jerk seasoning and oregano to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 45 minutes or until peas are tender.
6. Remove bay leaves and serve.