Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Ope, you’re not wearing green?! Don’t worry, Lucky Soup was invented to give you all the luck you need! Loaded with veggie upon veggie upon veggie, including the fortuitous black-eyed peas and prosperous collard greens, eating these alone is sure to give you all you need. And as an added, hearty, fulfilling bonus, chunks of salty ham hocks are included in the mix to make sure your belly is all the way full. Lucky Soup will certainly bring you good fortune in more ways than one, but eating it doesn’t guarantee you won’t get pinched, so go grab your brightest pair of green socks and then a nice, full bowl of this good stuff, and you’ll be all set for the celebration ahead!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 cups stemmed collard greens, roughly chopped
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (3/4-pound) smoked ham hock
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight in water, drained, and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Step 1 –On a pressure cooker, select the “Sauté” button on the “High” temperature setting, and allow it to heat for 2 minutes.
Step 2 –Add the oil to the pressure cooker and heat until it is shimmering, about 1 minute.
Step 3 –Add the onion, the carrots, and the celery to the oil and cook, stirring often, until the veggies have softened, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 4 –Stir the garlic and the crushed red pepper into the veggie mixture and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 5 –Sitr the chicken stock, the thyme, the collards, the tomatoes, the ham hock, and the black-eyed peas into the veggie mixture, then press the “Cancel” button on the pressure cooker.
Step 6 –Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and lock it in place.
Step 7 –Turn the steam release handle to the “Sealing” position, then select the “Manual/Pressure Cook” setting.
Step 8 –Select “High Pressure” and adjust the time to 10 minutes. It will take 10-15 minutes for the pressure cooker to come to pressure before the cooking begins.
Step 9 –Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
Step 10 –Carefully turn the steam release handle to the “Venting” position and let the steam fully escape. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
Step 11 –Carefully remove the lid from the pressure cooker.
Step 12 –Transfer the ham hock from the pressure cooker and pull the meat off the bone.
Step 13 –Chop the ham to equal about 1/3 cup, then discard its bone.
Step 14 –Stir the chopped ham, the red wine vinegar, the salt, and the pepper into the soup.
Step 15 –Serve.
