Ingredients

2 stalks celery, chopped, about 1 cup

1 onion, chopped, about 1 cup

1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped, about 3/4 cup

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces cooked ham, diced, about 1 1/4 cups (I used cooked chicken instead)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can yellow hominy (I used white hominy and it was good)

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)

1 (1 7/8 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon molasses

Preparation

1 Heat oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven. Add celery, onion, sweet pepper and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in ham (or chicken), paprika, sugar, dry mustard, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, cloves, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.

2 Stir in black-eyed peas, hominy, undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley and molasses. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and cover Dutch over and let soup simmer for 30 minutes