Black-Eyed Pea SoupRecipe
James' Black-Eyed Pea Soup 1/2 cup red bell peppers, small dice 1/2 cup green bell peppers, small dice 1/2 cup red onion, small dice 4 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced 4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced 1 small can tomato sauce 1 teaspoon paprika 2 cups chicken stock or broth 2 teaspoons ground cumin Kosher salt and pepper to taste Dash minced dried onion 2 cans black-eyed peas 2 cups water 1 ham hock Sauté veggies in oil with garlic for five minutes. Add seasonings, water and ham hock, bring to a boil, then simmer veggies until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and return to boil. Add chicken stock and black-eyed peas, boil 2 minutes and reduce to a simmer. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve. To make in a crockpot, place all ingredients in pot; do not sauté veggies first. Cook on low heat for about 4 hours. - James Thompson
Shari Lovsey and James Thompson stand with blackeye pea soup Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in Cougar Cafe on the Cleveland State Community College campus.Black-eyed peas are commonly associated with New Year's Day when it's tradition to eat them for luck.
But each year, for one Saturday in September, the lowly pea is celebrated by residents of Bradley County with its own community festival: the International Cowpea Festival in Charleston, Tenn.
Cowpea is a variety of legumes more commonly known as black-eyed peas, crowder peas or purple-hull peas. The Cowpea Festival is a nod to Charleston's agricultural history, recognizing that the town was once known as the cowpea capital of the United States for the amount of peas grown and shipped from the area.
And these black-eyed peas brought Shari Lovsey luck as she won the festival's Cowpea Cookoff.
"I made a black-eyed pea soup using the recipe of one of my employees, James Thompson. He was my secret weapon," Lovsey says. "The soup is very Southern and people tasting it said they loved it."
Lovsey's entry is not only tasty, but quick to cook once all the prep work is accomplished; it's also versatile in how it can be served. For the cookoff, Lovsey says she put a pineapple and ham brioche roll on top of each soup serving, giving it a crouton effect.
"It looked like fall, a warm comfort food," she says.
The soup easily works for a tailgate party as well. Just prepare it at home in crockpot and transport it, still in the pot, to the game.
Lovsey is co-owner of Tasteful Gatherings with Dee Johnston, a catering/personal chef/home delivery company in Cleveland, Tenn. The two recently assumed management of Cleveland State Community College's food services, changing the college cafeteria into Cougar Cafe, named for the college's mascot. A ribbon-cutting for the new cafe was held last week.
Melissa Woody, Cowpea Festival co-chairman, says preparations for the cookoff begin each year with an email blast inviting cooks to enter. The first five to apply are the contestants. In addition to Lovsey, the four remaining contestants on Sept. 10 were Shane Walden from Santa Fe Cattle Co., Chef William Shaw from Erlanger Medical Center, Gerald Crawford from Cleveland Country Cub and Chefs Darrell Gibson and Debi Walker, owners of Charleston Chew and Barbecue.
Entries must use original recipes and the amount of peas in the dish has to equal any other ingredient.
"The integrity of the pea has to be maintained. So even if it's hummus, you can still tell it's a pea," Woody explains.
Bush Brothers and Co., a festival sponsor, provides all beans or peas used in the recipes. Contestants have their choice of purple hull, crowder or black-eyed peas. Chefs place their bean orders in advance, and the cans are delivered to them. Contestants may either cook on-site or prep at home and finish at the cook-off.
"We just ask that they prepare enough at the cookoff to do a demonstration on-site as people come by," explains Woody.
Festival-goers are invited to purchase a $5 souvenir spoon, which gives them the opportunity to taste all five dishes, then vote on their favorite. One cook wins the People's Choice Award, receiving $100 and a plaque.
"The crazy thing is we always have a variety among the five chefs, and we don't regulate what they are going to do," says Woody. "They always come up with their own recipes and they are never the same. We had three soup-like recipes this year, but all three were different."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.