Zydeco Soup - cooking recipe

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
1/8 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 (14 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon molasses

Preparation

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.
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.