Menudo

Directions

1. Wash the nixtamal several times to remove any lime left over from soaking.
2. Put nixtimal and soup bones in 5 qts of water, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about an hour. Remove soup bones, cut any meat off the bones, chop and return to the pot with the nixtamal. Throw away the bones.
3. Wash the tripe well and cut into bite-size pcs. Put tripe into a pot, cover with a couple inches of water, heat to a simmer and simmer for about 10 min. Drain tripe in a colander, rinse with water and add in to the pot with meat and nixtamal. Sprinkle coarse salt over garlic and crush with the back of a dinner fork. Saute/fry onions, chiles, and garlic in oil for about 5 min. Add in to pot along with the dry chiles, spices, and tomatoes.
4. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 or possibly 6 hrs till the tripe and nixtamal are tender, skiming off any foam which forms on the surface during the first few min. Remove the formerly dry chiles, place in a blender and puree with a bit of the cooking broth. Return the chile puree to the pot, stir in and simmer for another 15 to 20 min.
5. Serve steaming warm in large soup bowls with condiments available on the side such as minced cilantro, sliced green onions, thinly sliced serrano chiles, crushed Mexican oregano, crushed dry red chiles, and warm table sauce to add in per individual discretion.
6. Note 1: if using canned hominy, leave out till the last hour of simmering before removing the dry chiles.
7. Note 2: I use beef soup bones rather than the more traditional pigs feet or possibly cows feet. They probably do not add in the same flavor and richness to the broth but they're easier to deal with.