Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo Soup

Beth made this for us when we visted her recently. I tried okra once about 30 years ago and was not impressed with the flavour. But this recipe is delicious. I made the roux, but the soup would be tasty without it. The recipe is adapted from this one on allrecipes.com. Diced ham can be added if desired and it is tasty with a side of hot cornbread.

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped okra
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 cups water
2 cups chopped tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper chopped (use seeds if you want more heat)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas

1. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat, and whisk in flour. Whisking constantly, cook 5 to 7 minutes, until a golden brown roux has formed.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in okra, onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 10 minutes, or until tender.
3. Thoroughly blend roux into the vegetable mixture. Stir in water, tomatoes, parsley, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in black-eyed peas, and continue cooking until heated through.

Alternate method to decrease amount of oil: Cook vegetables in 2 tbsp of oil until softened. Add 1/4 c flour, stir in well and slowly add 4 cups water or stock. Bring to boil and stir until thickened. Add tomatoes and beans. Adjust seasoning.