That Menudo is for hangovers.

That's right, for hangovers. Ever go to an authentic Mexican restaurant on a Saturday or Sunday morning and notice a bowl of red soup at each table? It's Menudo. Here is a recipe for y'all at home who don't have authentic Mexican in your neighborhood.

Menudo Recipe #1:
A large saucepan (see note below)
1 calf's foot (about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
2 pounds honeycomb tripe
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled
6 peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
4 quarts of water
A comal or griddle
3 large chiles anchos
A spice grinder
A large chile poblano, peeled or 2 canned, peeled green chiles
The calf's foot
1/2 cup canned hominy (1 pound) drained (see note below)
Salt as necessary
1 scant teaspoon oregano

Have the butcher cut the calf's foot into four pieces. Cut the tripe into small squares. Put them into the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the tripe and foot are just tender but not too soft. Meanwhile, toast the chilies well. Slit them open and remove the seeds and veins from the chile poblano, cut it into strips, and add to the meat while it is cooking. Remove the pieces of calf's foot from the pen, and when they are cool enough to handle, strip off the fleshy parts. Chop them roughly and return them to the pan.

Add hominy and continue cooking the menudo slowly, still uncovered, for another 2 hours.

Add salt as necessary. Sprinkle with oregano and serve (see note below).

This amount is sufficient for 7 or 8 people. It should be served in large, deep bowls with hot tortillas and small dishes of chopped chile serranos, finely chopped onion and wedges of lime for each person to help himself, along with Salsa de Tomate Verde Cruda to be eaten with tortillas.


Menudo Recipe #2:

The following recipe was provided by David Courtland and is an easier one to follow.

3 pounds tripe
3 pounds nixtamal (hominy) frozen, not canned
3 pounds pigs feet (not calves) cut into quarters
1 large onion diced
1 bunch green onion cut up in 1/4" pieces
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
2 tablespoons Oregano
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons salt

Wash tripe thoroughly, remove excess fat and cut into bite sized pieces, wash nixtamal and pigs feet well and combine all ingredient in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly until corn opens and is cooked (not overcooked). Skim off grease. It is best if you can refrigerate it in order to remove all grease.

Serve with fresh cilantro, chopped green onion, chiltepin, limon and toasted bolillos.

Buen provecho!!



Here are a few good links for future reference:

That making things from scratch takes time.

I have been researching how to make pastrami at home. This is Matt's favorite sandwich and I thought well hey, when your on a boat in the middle of the ocean, why not make your man what he wants, right? OMG. Apparently you soak meat, let is sit in brine, for 3 weeks, then smoke it! Hmm. My family would be an ovo-lacto-vegetarian family back in the day. Not sure about all of this. With H1N1 going around, I guess I'd rather have my family sick from bacteria caused by going back to basics than a mutated new virus killing healthy folks for no reason.