Mexican Tripe Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 calf's foot split lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise (optional)
• 3 pounds honeycomb or assorted types of tripe, well-rinsed in cold water and cut into 1-inch squares or triangles
• 1 large onion, cut into quarters
• 2 carrots, thickly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8 poblano chiles
• 4 cups cooked or drained canned hominy
• 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro leaves
• Salt
• Jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped
• Flour tortillas

Place the blanched foot and the tripe in a six-quart pot with the onion, carrots and garlic. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients by three inches.

Bring the pot to a slow simmer and use a ladle to skim off any froth that floats to the top. Cover the pot and continue simmering for three hours.

Spoon out and taste a piece of tripe to make sure it is completely tender - if not, simmer for 30 minutes more and keep checking until it's done.

Strain the soup into a wide colander, saving the broth. Let the solids cool slightly and then sort through, discarding the vegetables, throwing the pieces of tripe into the broth, and setting the pieces of calf's foot aside on a cutting board.

Not everyone likes the gelatinous flesh attached to the calf's foot, but if you do, cut it into one-fourth to one-half-inch cubes and add to the broth.

Blacken the poblano chiles in the flame of a gas burner or under a broiler. Peel off the blackened skin with your fingers and scrape off the remainder with a paring knife. Cut the chiles lengthwise and remove the stem and seeds. Chop the chiles fine or puree them in a food processor and add them to the broth.

Add the cooked hominy and bring the soup to a simmer - thin the soup with the water if it seems too thick. Add the cilantro and salt to taste.

Pass around the chopped jalapenos and plates of hot tortillas.

Serves 10.