Authentic Pepper Pot Soup

Ingredients

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

Directions

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.

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

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.

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

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.