Philadelphia Pepper Pot

Ingredients

• 2 pounds honeycomb beef tripe, cleaned
• 2 pounds beef marrow bones
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 4 quarts water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt for the dumplings
• 3 tablespoons cold shortening or beef suet
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Before you cook

• Rinse the tripe under cold running water and rub it with the cider vinegar, then rinse again.
• Crack the peppercorns coarsely under the bottom of a heavy pan.
• Dice the onions, celery, both bell peppers and the potatoes.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and cut in the cold shortening until crumbly, then refrigerate.

Steps

1. Put the tripe and marrow bones in a large pot and cover them with the water.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and cook hard for 5 minutes.
3. Drain everything into the sink and rinse both the tripe and the pot, which removes the strong smell.
4. Return the tripe and bones to the pot with 4 quarts of fresh water.
5. Bring the pot to a bare simmer and cook it for 3 hours, adding water if the level drops.
6. Test the tripe with a knife and keep simmering until it is completely yielding.
7. Lift out the tripe and bones and strain the broth into a bowl.
8. Cut the cooled tripe into 1/2-inch strips and scoop any marrow from the bones.
9. Melt the butter in the dry pot and cook the onions, celery and both bell peppers for 10 minutes.
10. Stir in the garlic, cracked peppercorns, allspice, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
11. Pour the strained broth back in and add the tripe strips, the marrow and the potatoes.
12. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
13. Stir the cold milk into the chilled flour mixture with a fork until a thick, sticky dough forms.
14. Drop the dough into the simmering soup in teaspoon-sized lumps.
15. Cover the pot and cook the dumplings for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
16. Uncover, season with the salt, and taste for pepper, which should be assertive.
17. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and serve.