Philadelphia Pepper Pot – Dad was definitely not a picky eater but it took him more than thirty years to develop of taste for escargots. He preferred liver and onions.
We tried to convince him that escargots were a far better choice than tripe or even calf’s liver. To no avail.
If only we could have served up a piping hot bowl of Philadelphia pepper pot soup! Discontinued in 2010, you can still buy the canned soup if you know where to look!
Pepper Pot: A Regional Favorite
While one of his frequent requests was a steaming bowl of Leek and Potato soup (a taste acquired in France during the war years), Dad also had favorite comfort food soups from childhood days in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Admittedly, this is not an across the board favorite but more of a regional specialty – and a favorite of those who grew up in the Philadelphia area.
In other words, it’s a perfect fit for several generations of this family.
Philadelphia Inquirer Cook Book Insert
Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup Recipes
The first recipe is from the Inquirer Cook Book, an insert of the Philadelphia Inquirer dated March 31, 1949.
But… I’ve also developed my own recipe for this traditional soup. It’s a soup that keeps well and tastes even better reheated!
The Inquirer cookbook was a four-part series edited by Virginia Cheney, Home Economics editor for the Inquirer and Ruth S. Hutchinson, author of the Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook.
The New Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book
We’ve tweaked this recipe a little bit depending on the availability of vegetables and meats but the unique flavors of Pepper Pot come from the fresh tripe.
I can understand where the mere idea of handling, preparing and eventually eating beef tripe might be more than some could take – even when hungry’
But admit it, if you did not know about the ingredients in any really tasty dish, you would probably eat it and ask for seconds. I know I have.
Try it once following either recipe to the letter and then make it your own with a few changes to suit all taste buds then serve it piping hot in the perfect soup bowl.
Cooking With Tripe
Grab an apron. This recipe is somewhat more involved than many and requires a certain amount of food prep. I have a collection of aprons depending on the amount of prep required.
Sometimes I use a cooking smock for complete coverage but for everyday cooking, I love my dark red linen bandage apron!
Click here to see Japanese Style Cooking Aprons
To most of my family members, tripe is that one ingredient not to be discussed. Just this week, the soup man made the following comment – “You’ve got to be kidding!” – yet he will come close to single-handedly eating the entire pot of Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup without a second thought to that one ingredient.
But let’s face it, as a food, offal and particularly tripe are eaten all over the world in a variety of very tasty recipes.
French recipes include some of my favorites dishes such as Tripes A La Mode de Caen (my recipe is coming up with leftover tripe from the Pepper Pot soup!) and Rognons de Veau.
A recipe for Tripes A La Mode Caen is included in a famous Cordon Bleu cookbook!
Who’s a fan of liver and onions? Anyone for beef tongue? How about steak and kidney pie? All recipes made with offal.
Tripe Is Good For You – Within Reason
It’s not exactly what one might think of as a good reason to eat tripe in any dish but it is, in fact, good for you. It is high in cholesterol but packed with minerals, proteins, and vitamins. But I digress…
How To Cook Tripe
Yes, tripe is chewy if not cooked correctly but its mild flavor is the perfect way to add protein to soups.
Rinse and scrub the tripe under cold running water. Place in a large dutch oven and cover with cold water.
Bring the water to a simmer on low heat and barely simmer (as in the water ripples rather than bubbles) for at least 5 hours or until the tripe is soft and easily pierced with a fork.
Anything more than a low simmer will toughen up the tripe. What you want are extremely tender bits of tripe in the soup so make sure to maintain that low simmer from the start.
Slow Cooker Pepper Pot Soup
Pepper Pot soup is the perfect slow cooker recipe! I would still recommend preparing the tripe as I did – separately on a slow simmer for hours on end. By the time the tripe is really tender, the remaining ingredients would be mush. Prep it ahead of time.
The rest of the soup prep can easily be made in the crockpot. Near the end of the soup and veggies cooking cycle, add the diced tripe.
When you can’t find an ingredient – improvise.
- Veal knuckles were nowhere to be found so I used beef instead.
- For that peppery bite, I added a generous amount of red pepper flakes to cook with the broth.
- The Inquirer recipe calls for noodles or macaroni. You can only reheat those so many times. Use potatoes instead.
I’m not crazy about cloves in anything except baked goods but I add a couple in the soup.
The 16 inch oval prep platter I use in the kitchen is a memento of my mother-in-law’s kitchen.
As the only remaining piece of a set, I use it for all my recipe prep work. It’s a vintage Noritake The Sahara porcelain piece.
Almost soup!
Diced, Chopped & Julienned!
Recently, while preparing several recipes that required dicing, chopping and slicing, I cut my fingers in rather unique ways.
I will not post pictures to illustrate the damage but let’s just say that the cuts were surgical.
It’s been a long time since I cut myself to such an extent. I thought I would break out the Mandoline but by then, not even the protective blade guard seemed enough to keep my fingers out of the way.
Cutting vegetables for soup is rather routine but leave it to a wet carrot to cause potentially serious damage and to an extra sharp knife not to recognize the difference between tenderloin steak and my hand! So…
Order a set of gloves and keep your fingers safe. At no point are fingers required to be part of any recipes!
Tripe (English Kitchen)
More Soup Recipes:
- Smoked Chicken Rice Soup: Easy Slow Cooker Recipe
- French Leek and Potato Soup: Easy Slow Cooker Comfort Food
- Best Mushroom Bisque: Foraging In Wegmans® Market Potomac Produce Department
- Easy Pork And Cabbage Soup: Quick Homemade Chinese Soup
- Wild Mushroom Bisque Soup: Where To Find the Best Mushrooms For Soup
- Chorizo Kale Soup Recipe: 2 Ways To Prepare The Best Comfort Food Soup
- Old Fashioned Homemade Chicken Soup: Simple Comfort Food Made Easy