Soup's On!

Of course, I’ll be making a rousing pot of Hoppin’ John soup to kick off 2026, but I thought I’d share these super “instant” soups that can be made in a pinch. So delicious, nobody will suspect they took only a few minutes to prepare!

For the last few years, I’ve thrown a small cocktail party at my mother’s house in New Hampshire on Christmas Eve and greeted guests with a soupçon of hot soup in antique teacups. It’s a wonderful idea to help friends shake off the cold and slip into something so comforting.

But after toiling over the hors d’oeuvres (such as quiche and this fabulous fruit-nutty cheese spread), I like to keep the soup preparation thing quick. So here are two shortcut soups I serve on these particular occasions, and I’ve also included variations of them below made from scratch, should you care to linger a little longer in the kitchen.

SHORTCUT: Simmer a box of Pacific Foods or the Imagine brand of Butternut Squash Soup with a few slivers of orange rind, a bushy sprig of rosemary, and a good pinch of salt. Heat until nicely fragrant, remove rind and rosemary, and serve.

LINGER LONGER: Silky Carrot Soup 

SHORTCUT: Any kind of ready-made or canned potato or potato/leek soup will do for Green Vichyssoise. Cook spinach according to package, strain, and add to soup with some milk (as suggested on packaging), thyme threads, and salt. Simmer, remove thyme and serve right away in the winter months. Otherwise, chill for a mid-summer refresher. 

LINGER LONGER: Vichyssoise

Do enjoy—and Happy New Year!

P.S. These oranges looked so pretty as I was preparing to pare off the rind.

Please Pass The Peas

It must have been a number of years ago when we went to a New Year's Day party where our Southern hostess presented us with a bowl of delicious marinated black-eyed peas; she explained that eating them on the first day of the year had always been a tradition in her family and was thought to serve up a side of good luck as well. I've made some form of black-eyed peas on that auspicious holiday ever since.

The December issue of Saveur included a recipe for Hoppin' John Soup that I can't wait to make in a couple of days. Along with the peas, among other things, there's ham and a smoked ham bone thrown in there, with garlic and collard greens. Now, doesn't that sound like a marvelous way to ring in the new year?

Hoppin' John Soup

Ingredients

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
1 smoked ham bone or two hocks
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1⁄2 cup finely chopped cooked ham
1⁄4 tsp. red chile flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded,

 and finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 lb. collard greens, ribs removed,

 leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
5 cups cooked long-grain white rice
Chopped tomatoes and scallions, for garnish
1. Bring peas, ham bone, and 8 cups water to a boil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, skimming foam occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain peas, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid along with ham bone; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a 12-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped ham, chiles, garlic, jalapeños, carrot, onion, celery, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add reserved black-eyed peas, ham bone, and reserved cooking liquid, along with collards and 12 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until collards are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Spoon rice into bowls and ladle soup over rice and add garnishes.
SERVES 8 – 10

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #125

Photo credit: Todd Coleman