James's Rojo Menudo
2 1/2 lb tripe
1/2 calf's foot
1/3 cup vinegar
1 cold water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
3 qt water (approx.)
1 salt
1 1/2 cup hominy
1 red chili puree (see below) or 1 cu, p canned red chile
1 sauce
1 finely chopped green onions
1 chopped cilantro leaves
1 lemon wedges
1 corn tortillas, heated
1 red chili puree:
8 California chiles (1/4 lb)
2/3 cup water
Scrape off any fat from tripe. Cut tripe into 1-inch squares. Place
tripe and calf's foot in a large bowl. Add vinegar and cold water to
cover generously. Let stand 3 hours. Drain. Rinse tripe and calf's
foot thoroughly. Place in a large pot. Add garlic and onion. Pour
in water to cover ingredients plus 1 to 1 1/2 inches, about 3 quarts.
Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer
about 6 hours or until tripe is tender. After 1 hour, skim foam from
surface of soup. Skim again as needed. Add more water if liquid
evaporates.
Prepare Red Chile Puree. Add hominy and Red Chile Puree during last
hour of cooking. Ladle into large bowls. Serve chopped green onions,
cilantro, lemon wedges and hot corn tortillas separately.
Makes 10 to 15 servings.
Red Chile Puree: Remove stems from chiles. Break chiles open and
rinse out seeds. Place in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a
boil. Continue to boil until chiles are softened, about 5 minutes.
Drain; discard water. Place chiles in blender; puree. Add enough
water to make puree the consistency of tomato sauce. Press pureed
chiles through a sieve to remove bits of peel. Makes about 1 cup.
Variation: Substitute 1 1/2 cups nixtamal (cooked dried corn) for
canned hominy. Combine with soaked tripe and calf's foot, garlic,
onion and water. Cook as directed above.
Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance, is the death of
knowledge.
- Alfred North Whitehead