Description

Pepper Pot soup is a Pennsylvania Dutch specialty from the Philadelphia area. The recipe below appeared in the Inquirer cookbook insert in 1949. This insert is one of two found in my mother-in-law’s recipe stash. 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. Copyright of the respective editor and author.

Scale

Ingredients

1 pound of honeycomb tripe
Veal knuckle; Cover with cold water
1/2 teaspoon of peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons of butter or shortening
1 cup of sliced onions
1 cup of diced carrots
Half cup of diced celery
1 diced green pepper
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup wide egg noodles or macaroni
1 1/2 cups of canned tomatoes
One tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Instructions

Cut the tripe into one-inch squares. Put tripe and veal knuckle in a large soup pot, cover with cold water and slowly bring to the boiling point.
Add peppercorns and thyme; simmer until the tripe is tender, about 4 hours. Strain, reserving the liquid and also tripe and veal knuckle.
Boil down the liquid until you have about two quarts. Melt the butter or shortening and sauté the onions, carrots, celery and green pepper in it.
Cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, then sprinkle with flour and blend well. Slowly add the two quarts of soup stock.
Add macaroni and canned tomatoes. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the macaroni is cooked about 10 minutes.
Remove the meat from the veal knuckle and but it into bite-size pieces or shreds. Add the tripe pieces to the soup mixture. Add salt and pepper and adjust to taste.
Remove from the heat and garnish with parsley prior to serving.

Keywords: tripe, veal, soup, Pepper Pot, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania