Favourite Philadelphia Pepper Pot
Submitted by gryoung
Philadelphia pepper pot, the historic peppery tripe-and-veal soup of Colonial America. Slow-simmered with potatoes and pot herbs, fired up with cayenne, and dotted with tiny marble-sized suet dumplings.
YIELD
18 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
12 hrsREADY
12½ hrsPhiladelphia pepper pot is a genuine piece of American history, the peppery soup legend says was cooked up to feed George Washington’s freezing troops at Valley Forge. It’s old-fashioned, patient cooking, and worth knowing.
Tripe is the heart of it, and it takes time. Boil it for hours the day before to coax it from rubbery to tender. A veal knuckle simmered separately gives the broth its rich, gelatinous body; just skim the scum as it rises for a clean, clear base.
The name comes from the cayenne, which gives the soup a genuine peppery kick, balanced by potatoes, onion, and a bundle of pot herbs.
The finishing touch is marble-sized suet dumplings, rolled from flour and chopped suet and dropped into the hot soup to cook through in about ten minutes. Scatter parsley over and serve at once, while the dumplings are pillowy.
Kitchen Tips
- Cook the tripe a full day ahead; it needs long, slow boiling to turn tender.
- Skim the scum off the veal broth as it rises for a clean, clear soup.
- Roll the suet dumplings small and flour them well so they don’t stick or fall apart.
- Add cayenne to taste; the soup is meant to be peppery, but build the heat gradually.
Variations
- Use beef shank or oxtail in place of the veal knuckle for the broth.
- Skip the suet dumplings and serve with crusty bread instead.
- Add diced carrots and celery with the potatoes for more vegetables.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the tripe the day before using. Wash thoroughly, place in kettle and cover with water. Boil 8 hours. Remove the tripe. When cooled, cut into pieces about ½ inch square.
The next day wash the veal knuckle, cover with 3 quarts of cold water and simmer about 3 hours, removing scum as it rises. Remove meat from bones and cut into small pieces. Strain the broth and return to kettle.
Add the bay leaf and onion and simmer about 1 hour. Then add the potatoes, which have been cut in squares, and the pot herbs. Add the meat and tripe and season with salt and cayenne pepper (if desired).
Make dumplings by combining the finely chopped suet, flour, salt and enough water to permit rolling the dough into dumplings, about the size of marbles.
Flour well to prevent sticking and drop into the hot soup. Cook 10 minutes, add some chopped parsley and serve at once.
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