Hoppin' John Soup (Black-eyed Bean Stew)

Step 1

Place onion, pepper, celery, garlic, chilli and ginger into a food processor and chop roughly.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large cooking pot and fry bacon till it is nice and crispy. Remove a quarter of the bacon and set aside for garnish.

Step 3

Add the chopped vegetable mixture to the bacon and fry the mix for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4

Then add in the beans, stock, bay leaves and thyme, mix well, bring to the boil.

Step 5

Then reduce heat and cover and simmer for between 60 -90 minutes depending on how soft you want your beans. You may need to add in more stock if it dries out.

Step 6

Add in salt and black pepper to taste.

Step 7

Serve this over rice and top with the rest of the bacon and chopped spring onions.