Authentic Pepper Pot Soup

The authentic version uses tripe. I have never cared for tripe, myself, and I have always substituted chicken, beef, turkey, sausage or even ham instead.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 2 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 216 Calories

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 5 slices bacon, diced
• 3 leeks, chopped
• 2 quarts beef stock
• 1 pound honeycomb tripe
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place the tripe or other meat that you have selected to use in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Allow the meat to cool a bit in the water, and then drain and rinse. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces.

Step 2

In a large heavy kettle, saute the bacon until clear. Add the onion, celery, leeks, parsley, and green peppers; saute until tender.

Step 3

Stir in beef stock, thyme, marjoram, cloves, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and black pepper. Bring the kettle to a boil, and turn down to a simmer. Cook, covered, until meat is very tender, about 2 hours.

Step 4

Add the diced potato and carrots, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Step 5

Prepare the roux by stirring the flour into the melted butter or margarine, and cooking for a moment on the stove. When the soup is done to your liking, stir in the roux. Simmer, stirring all the while, until the soup thickens a bit. Correct the seasonings.