MIL made menudo for New Year's - a day of prepping and chopping, followed by a day of cooking. It's a hell of a lot of work, but so good.
She started by washing tripe and pig's feet (which she had the butcher cut into manageable pieces), then boiled each one twice to remove the yuckiness. Dried chiles had to be rehydrated and seeded, then blended with garlic and onion.
Because I didn't get to see any of it, and MIL's always rather vague when it comes to sharing recipes, I'm not sure what happened next. I know the tripe got chopped into bite-size pieces. I know 3 large cans of hominy were used. And I'm guessing the blended chile sauce was diluted with water to create the soup. Maybe she added stock cube or 2, maybe some MSG. (Yes, there's a bag of MSG in my pantry.)
Toppings were chopped and sliced - radishes, cilantro, green onion, white onion, lemon wedges. Plus oregano and chile flakes for sprinkling.
End result was a huge pot of tasty deliciousness. I even ate a pig's foot, which I had previously sworn I'd never do, because of the texture. But this was good. Damn good.
13 comments:
I hate it when people are vague about recipes. If it's good, share it dammit! Of course, I don't know about pigs feet and tripe... but I'm glad you enjoyed it. :) Happy New Year!
Hi Bob - I'm not sure she does it on purpose, that's just how she cooks. Tripe & feet normally gross me out, but they're so good in menudo! Happy New Year!
I've never had menudo but I love tripe and pig's feet. So why haven't I tried it before? Oh, yeah, I don't have a MIL who cooks that for me. :P
Hi WC - Come on down and have some, we have plenty left! I typically only like tripe in pho, but for this menudo, I'll make an exception :)
I bet this was really good - but you're right, it's a lot of work...I like to be invited over...not cook this - lol. Hey, I'll bring dessert!
-Darius
www.everydaycookin.com
I've always been hesitant about menudo, possibly because my Mecian husband never liked it, so I always shied away. But then again, our palates are very different now. So if you say it's damn good... well, I may have to try it at one of my SoCal hole in the walls.
Happy New Year!
Hi Darius - Dessert's a good trade, if you're ever in soCal, come on over!
Hi Melissa - When I have menudo at restaurants, I eat the broth and hominy, but not the tripe, 'cause of the texture. But homemade is a completely different thing! Happy New Year!
I thought menudo was a boy band from the 80s. Thanks for educating me.
Hi Betts - This menudo is much tastier than that boy band ;-)
Somehow, I knew you'd have to sort your way through it. The BEST recipes from family always seem to be like this. I'll bet it was fabulous -- and definitely better than my one sample years and years ago. Still looking for a taste that matches the aroma I remember. YUM!
Hi Kellypea - I think the problem w/most menudos is that the tripe isn't cleaned well enough. If you're ever up in North County, try the menudo at Pacific Taco in Escondido next to Major Market, it's the best I've had in a restaurant.
Sounds like a really rich broth from your description. Menudo is good stuff :)
Hi Jude - Incredibly rich! Not too much fat, but the leftovers were congealed solid from all the gelatin! Makes for sticky lips :)
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