No ham bone. I had lots of bits of ham leftover from Easter, about four cups. So I used this recipe as a scaffold. First I slowly rended the fat off the ham and then removed the meat. Then I threw in the leftover chopped green onions, and chopped celery plus the celery leaves ( I was cleaning out the fridge!). I chopped up a couple of carrots and added those and sautéed everything for a few minutes, then added some crushed garlic, maybe 4 cloves. I had some frozen black eyed peas simmering on the stove while I was doing all this. They take 30 minutes! Then I added the rest of the chopped ham and cooked it for a minute, 1 carton of unsalted chicken broth, a can of corn ( drained) and a can of diced tomatoes. By this time the black eyed peas are almost tender, so I drained them and tossed them into the pot with everything else. Added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and about 1/2 teaspoons low country seasonings ( you can use old bay or something similar). I simmered it for another 15 minutes. Oh man! Divine!!
