New Years Tradition

More tripe is consumed on January 1 than any other day of the year, with the possible exception of Cinco de Mayo (Mexican Independence Day) or September 16th (The "Other" Mexican Independence Day), in the form of Menudo.

Menudo vendors ply their delicious product after the cantinas/bars close or on Sunday...as a hangover cure.

Some ladies bring vats of Menudo to early Mass to sell by the bucketful to church goers as they leave the church. The ex's grandmother Jesus brought us home some after Mass one year when we visited her in Phoenix. She was very particular about whose Menudo she purchased...saying that some cooks didn't know how to make the "beautiful" dish...and it's true that carefully cleaned honeycomb tripe is much more pleasing to the eye and palate. If it looks slapdash or slimy...PASS it by!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menudo_(soup)

Below is one of the best recipes I've found for Menudo, although it does not specify Honeycomb tripe, and says to use frozen hominy...phooey, I've always used canned added near the end of cooking, and I defy anyone to tell the difference. Preparing the tripe is the most important part of this dish. The ex-MIL used to say it was a matter of cleaning, and "cooking the piss out of it". I use 2 waters to cook the meat.

I've usually only used pigs feet,only 1 or 2 trotters...and discarded them before serving. To me the feet, either calf or pig, are used merely for flavor, and as a sort of emollient. When refrigerated the menudo will jell, just like consomme...that's from the bones you've simmered. You can also skim off most of the fat by refrigerating the dish before serving, but it's not terribly necessary if you've cleaned the meat properly. The idea of facing a foot in my soup is more than I could handle with a hangover, thenkyewveddymuch.

I also add canned Chile Colorado sauce, just enough to color the broth. To me the pleasure of this soup is having all the additional flavoring ingredients on the side...to add as personal taste dictates. Therefore I serve all the companion ingredients in small bowls. Dried chili flakes, green onions, dried oregano, fresh mint sprigs, generous lemon or lime wedges, jalapenos, salsa cruda, and plenty of fresh hot tortillas.

The following recipe was provided by David Courtland:

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!!