Orethapedia

National Pepper Pot Day pays tribute to soups and is celebrated every year on December 29. It is meant to celebrate a soup that was nicknamed ‘The Soup That Won The War.’ The war that it started in the American Revolutionary War for independence from Britain. The soup that started it all was called the Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup. The Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup is a thick soup made up of beef tripe, whatever vegetables are available, and of course, peppercorns. This peppery soup recipe has a long history and probably originates from the Caribbean.

It was brought over to America by enslaved people, who later sold the soup out in the streets. Here is a tasty recipe that you can put together

Ingredients

• 1 pound honeycomb tripe
• 5 slices bacon, diced
• 3 medium leeks, chopped
• 2 medium green bell peppers, diced
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 2 quarts beef stock
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves (Optional)
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Place tripe into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let sit until tripe has cooled slightly, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse; cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. Sauté bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until clear, 2 to 3 minutes. Add leeks, bell peppers, parsley, onion, and celery; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock, pepper, marjoram, cloves, thyme, pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Add tripe and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tripe is very tender, about 2 hours. Add potato and carrots; cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
3. When the soup is almost ready, melt margarine in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir roux into soup and cook, stirring constantly, until soup thickens a bit. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Discard bay leaf.