Have You Eaten Menudo? Spicy Soup with Beef Tripe

Tripe is the stomach (or stomachs) of a domesticated animal. The first 3 stomachs of a cow can be used or sometimes the stomach from a pig or sheep. The first of stomach in a cow is called blanket tripe. The second stomach is called honeycomb tripe, which is the most preferred. The third usable stomach is called bible or book tripe. This last stomach isn't used much because of its glandular texture.

The lining of the stomach is the part that is actually used. Tripe must be cleaned thoroughly. A butcher will also bleach it so it looks more appetizing.

Fresh tripe is a khaki color. Even though bleached tripe looks better, unbleached and uncooked tripe will have more flavor. When you get the tripe home, you must rinse it until the water runs clear and there is no grittiness left. Tripe needs to be cooked for a long time in order to become tender. Simmering it for 2-3 hours is usually sufficient, but people often simmer it much longer.

SERVES 10 -12

Ingredients

3 lbs honeycomb beef tripe (best from Mexican grocery or meat markets)
1 (1 lb) pig's foot (cut in small pieces by the butcher)
1 (30 ounce) can hominy
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano
6 tablespoons Menudo Spice Mix
1 serrano pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
tap water, to fill the crock pot

Directions

Cook on HIGH for 7 to 8 hours until the beef tripe and pig's foot is cooked tender.

Add more Menudo Mix and salt if desired.

Garnish individual bowls of menudo with lime juice, chopped onions and chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve with guacamole salad and corn or flour tortillas.

Recipe by: Bobby Joe (Zhou) Moon on Recipe Zaar

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Back in the 19th century, the word "hangover" meant unfinished business or that a job had not been completed.

In 1904, the meaning "after effects of drinking too much" first surfaced, based on the idea that a hangover was something left over.

Doctors say too much alcohol causes low blood sugar, dehydration, causes a vitamin B-12 deficiency, and blocks hormones in your kidney so you urinate more.

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining and promotes the secretion of hydrochloric acid. With enough alcohol, nerves will then tell your brain that your stomach contents are hurting your body, and that's when vomiting begins. Vomiting helps to reduce the alcohol in your stomach, but then you have hangover symptoms such as sour stomach, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.

Avoiding a Hangover

Eat fatty foods before you start drinking. Fatty foods tend to coat the stomach lining, slowing down the absorption of alcohol into the system while decreasing irritation. Some people drink a spoonful of olive oil before partying.

Stay hydrated. Drink one glass of water for every two drinks you consume and then two glasses with two aspirin before you go to bed (if you have no medical reason prohibiting aspirin).

But there are many home remedies; some hundreds of years old.

One home remedy cure is a bowl of hot, spicy Mexican menudo soup fortified with vitamin-rich chiles. Millions of menudo eaters swear it works.

photo by LFL 16 on flickr

Here is a traditional Mexican menudo recipe.

4 pounds of tripe
6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 can of white hominy
2 jalapenos peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bunch of chopped cilantro
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
12 tomatillos, diced

1. Rinse tripe under cold running water and cut into 1 inch squares. Place the garlic, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves into a square of cheesecloth. Tie into a bundle.
2. Place the tripe in a large stock pot with 4 pints of hot water, the bundle and the salt.
3. Bring to a boil and skim away the nasty foam that might appear.
4. Reduce the heat and cook at a simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until tripe is tender.
5. Add the hominy, liquid and all and the jalapenos.
6. Cook 15 minutes longer. About 10 minutes before serving, add the cilantro, green onions, and tomatillos.
7. Remove the herb bundle
8. Garnishes with red chile sauce, oregano, chopped onions, fresh lime wedges, sliced radishes and some ore cilantro.

A Great Hangover Cure

photo by Paul Garland on flickr