Famous Philadelphia Pepper Pot
Submitted by granny61443
Philadelphia pepper pot is the legendary Revolutionary War-era soup of tripe, calves feet, red pepper, herbs, and potatoes. A heritage colonial stew that fed Washington’s army at Valley Forge.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2½ hrsPhiladelphia pepper pot is American food history in a bowl. Legend has it that the soup was invented at Valley Forge in 1777 by a cook from Germantown who fed George Washington’s freezing soldiers with whatever scraps he could find. Tripe and calves feet, the cheap bits, anchor the recipe.
The long simmer is non-negotiable. Tripe and calves feet are both collagen-rich and tough, and they need two hours minimum to break down into the silky, almost gelatinous broth that defines this soup.
The whole red pepper goes in early to bloom its heat throughout the stock. Sweet marjoram, basil, and thyme come later so they keep their fragrance instead of cooking flat.
The butter-rolled-in-flour, called a beurre manié, is the classic French technique for thickening soup right at the end. The egg balls (think small dumplings) are a colonial-era addition for body and richness.
Pro Tips
- Buy honeycomb tripe, already blanched and cleaned. Raw tripe needs a separate pre-cook to remove its smell.
- Skim the broth aggressively after the first 20 minutes. Calves feet release a lot of scum that turns the soup cloudy.
- Cut the cooked tripe into half-inch ribbons for proper texture. Large pieces are chewy.
- Substitute beef shanks if calves feet are hard to source. They add similar collagen.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Put two pounds of tripe and four calve’s feet into the soup-pot and cover them with cold water. Add a red pepper, and boil closely until the calve’s feet are boiled very tender.
Take out the meat, skim the liquid, stir it, cut the tripe into small pieces, and put it back into the liquid; if there is not enough liquid, add boiling water.
Add half a teaspoon of sweet marjoram, sweet basil, and thyme, two sliced onoins, sliced potatoes, and salt.
When the vegetables have boiled until almost tender, add a piece of butter rolled in flour, drop in some egg balls, and boil fifteen minutes more.
Take up and serve hot.
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