Mondongo Soup [Video+Recipe] Tripe Stew

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork or beef honeycomb (bleached and clean [0.45 kg])
• 3 cilantro sprigs ((or parsley))
• 1 tsp salt (divided (or more, to taste))
• 1/4 tsp pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
• 2 limes (or lemons, if you can't find limes)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large red onion (chopped into small cubes)
• 1 tsp mashed garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 6 plum tomato (diced)
• 1/4 tsp oregano (dry, ground)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce ((or 3 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste))
• 3 potatoes (large, cut into cubes)
• 1 large carrot (diced)
• 1 tsp agrio de naranja (or hot sauce (may be omitted))

Instructions

1. 1

   --- 1. Cleaning the honeycomb ---

2. 2

   Cleaning: Peel off fat and lining. Wash with abundant cold water.

3. 3

   --- 2. Boiling the honeycomb ---

4. 4

   Boiling: Place the honeycomb in a large pot. Add cilantro, a teaspoon of salt, and ground black pepper. Pour in half a gallon [2 liters] of water and add the juice of two limes (or lemon juice). Boil over medium heat until the honeycomb is fork-tender, adding water as it becomes necessary to maintain the same level. This may take a long time: 1 to 3 hours in a conventional pot. You can shorten this by using a pressure cooker, where it may take 30 to 60 minutes.

5. 5

   --- 3. Chopping the honeycomb ---

6. 6

   Chopping: Remove the honeycomb from the heat and discard the liquid. Cool to room temperature. Cut into spoon-sized pieces.Set it aside.

7. 7

   --- 4. Cooking the vegetables ---

8. 8

   Cooking vegs: In a pot heat the oil over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onions become translucent. Stir in celery, peppers, and tomatoes. Cook covered for a couple of minutes. Add oregano, and pour in the tomato sauce and stir.

9. 9

   --- 5. Cooking the mondongo ---

10. 10

    Cooking mondongo: Add the honeycomb, carrot, and potato. Cook stirring for a couple of minutes. Pour in Add 3 cups of water. Simmer covered over low heat until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through (about 15 minutes). Taste and season with salt and hot sauce to taste. Remove from the heat.

11. 11

    --- 6. Serving ---

12. 12

    Serving: This should be served as soon as it comes off the stove. If you are not going to eat it right away, reheat right before serving. Serve with arroz blanco and avocado.