Zorza (Fried Spanish Chorizo Filling)

I'll be honest... I have never made Zorza and this is my first time. Zorza is basically the filling for Spanish Chorizo (what you fill the casings with) BUT instead of being ground up raw for the filling, you leave the pork in chunks and fry it in oil.

This dish came to be because prior to filling the chorizo casings, people making them had to know if they tasted right, if it had the right amount of salt and spices. So to test it, they would fry a small portion and taste it. If it tasted good then the chorizo would be good too.

Over time, I guess some people just loved the "Zorza" and some people prepare the pork meat just for the sole purpose of making "Zorza."

I pretty much looked at different recipes online and came up with these ratios. The first time I heard of "Zorza" was at Pilar Lechuza's blog "La Cocina de Lechuza" (dedicated to Galician and Spaniard cooking) The blog is written in Spanish but can be translated with some converter thing? Immediately I knew this was something I had to try and everyone in and out ofmy house loved it.

Ingredients:
-2 lbs. pork meat (I used boneless pork leg meat with fat) cut into small cubes
-2 tablespoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika (Pimienton dulce)
-1 tablespoon hot smoked Spanish paprika (Pimienton picante)
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-salt to taste (at least 2 teaspoons)
-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1 bunch parsley finely minced (optional, I did not add it or find it necessary)

Directions:
(1) Mix pork meat very well with all ingredients, marinade for at least 12 hours or overnight stirring every now and then (like whenever you remember. no big deal if you forget. I stirred it maybe twice)

(2) The next day, heat a large pan on very very high heat. Add the marinaded pork meat and stir occasionally (you do not need to add oil to the pan because you added plenty of olive oil to the meat and the wine acts as a deglazer so it doesn't allow for much sticking). Stir on very high heat until all water evaporates. The pork will have rendered plenty of fat. Keep stirring until meat is slightly browned and fully cooked (Have patience, this takes about 25 minutes of cooking, maybe even longer).

(3) Drain meat by putting it in a large dish with paper bags under to soak the excess grease. Save the delicious fat for cooking other things or to flavor other stuff. It has an intense pork flavor infused with delicious smokey Spanish paprika.

(4) You can serve it with cubed fried potatoes, fried eggs, or if desired, a raw salad. I served it with cubed fried potatoes and sauteed a lot of onions in the leftover drippings until they were sweet and caramelized. Sprinkle a bit of salt of the potatoes and onions and Mmmm... comfort food indeed.

NOTE:
(1) DO NOT! I repeat! DO NOT even try to make this recipe if you do not have the smoked Spanish paprikas! I believe you can still get tasty results with just the sweet smoked Spanish Paprika which seems to be available readily in the USA now (Internet, specialty stores, or your local grocery store in the spice section) I recently just saw a large 8.5 oz. container by McCormick at Costco for $3.19 dollars. It tastes just like the "Pimienton Dulce de La Vera." it's labeled as "Smoked Paprika" and say's something about Spain and about it being sweet in the front label. The American paprika that you can find everywhere that is just labeled "Paprika"is bland and tastes completely different. I have yet to try Hungarian Paprika but I assume that it is also very different so do not try to substitute with that.

(2) The Zorza can be used as an "Empanada" filling as well. You can use the leftover grease to make flavorful Empanada dough.

P.S.

I am tempted to someday take the task of making Spanish Chorizo at home and curing it myself. Though some may be of good quality, it is ridiculously over priced here in the states andis not nearly as good as what is available in Spain.

Edited by: Travis Thi

Bistec Picado en Cazuela (Chopped Steak in Pan?)

My Tata used to sometimes make a very simple dish that she simply called "Bistec Picado en Salsa" (chopped steak in sauce), she simply made a basic Cuban tomato based sauce (olive oil or lard, garlic, onion, bell pepper, can of tomato sauce, water to thin out sauce, seasoned with salt and cumin nothing more nothing less) to this boiling sauce she would add chopped steak and let it simmer until tender. My grandmother does the same procedure when she makes "Bistec en Cazuela" (steak in a pan) she'll simply submerge whole thin cut steaks to boil in the sauce. I prefer it chopped though because it's easier to eat.

So that's my Tata's version but I have my own way of making it that I prefer both are delicous but I prefer mine ;) today I'm showing you my version. The difference between mine and hers is that I brown the meat first seasoned with salt and pepper,then make the same tomato based sauce my Tata makes but with the addition of red wine, oregano, and teh optional sweet smoked spanish paprika from La Vera region of Spain.

Haha I wasn't very traditional when I made this my mother made fresh homemade flour tortillas and we used this dish as a filling, I also had a huge batch of "Potaje de Frijoles Colorados" (Cuban Red Bean and Pork Stew) which I pureed and refried to a thick paste to use as a filling to. So we basically had a meal that was Cuban, Spaniard, and Mexican fusion. Still delicious.

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 lbs. thin cut steak cut into squares or small strips
-1 large onion julienned
-1 large green bell pepper julienned
-1/2 a head of garlic peeled mashed to a paste or pressed through a garlic press
-1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce or 3 ripe tomatoes pureed
-1/2 cup red wine (to taste)
-1 cups water or beef broth
-1/2 teaspoon oregano
-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 teaspoon sweet smoked spanish paprika (optional)
-salt to taste
-1/4 cup- 1/2 cup lard or extra-virgin olive oil (as needed I used lard, some dishes are just fabulous with it this is one of them)
-chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish (optional)

Directions:
(1) Season meat liberally with salt and pepper, heat lard on high heat until melted and hot. Add steaks in one layer and let brown about 5-10 minutes all around, stir occasionally, it is normal for the steaks to release liquid, let it all evaporate and stir occasionally until well browned, you may lower heat to medium high if you feel it's too hot.

(2) While steak is browning you can do all your prep work (chopping etc.) after browning steaks add onions and bell peppers cook down for about 5-7 minutes, add garlic and cook until fragrant about 1-2 minutes, add red wine and higher heat so it bubbles and reduces by half, scrape the bottom of the pan so it deglazes everything off. Add tomato simmer another 3-5 minutes, finally thin sauce out with water or beef broth bring to a rolling boil, season with cumin, sweet smoked paprika, and salt to taste (taste it and see if it needs more I add about 1/2 teaspoon salt but of course its eyeballed), if you feel it needs more black pepper feel free to add it.

(3) Simmer covered on low or medium low until meat is tender about 20-30 minutes.

(4) When ready you may garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro which is optional (I didn't have any on hand) mmmm.... enlarge the picture below by clicking on it to see how delicous it came out :D
Note:
-You may mince the onions and bell peppers if you wish, in which it would go better with the meat cut into squares, if you cut the meat into strips then everything julienned would look better, me I forgot and wasn't thinking so I ended up cutting the meat into squares and everything julienned, but still equally tastey.

Buñuelos Mexicanos (Mexican Buñuelos)

Buñuelos generally speaking it is sometype of fried dough, that can be stuffed, is either sweet or savory, and can be doused in syurp or sugar depending on the preparation (yes I know that is a very broad definition but buñuelos vary so much from culture to culture that I believe there is no solid definition of what a buñuelo should be).

For example in Cuba, there is Buñuelos de Yuca (it's a fried dough made from Cassava root shaped as an 8 that is then dunked in syrup) and there is also different varieties of within a country like in one of my Salvadorian cook book there's a recipe for buñuelos it's made from rice flour and fried in the shape of a ball then dunked in a cinnamon infused syrup made from unrefined solid cane sugar. Some are even savory I've seen mixes sold at store to make "Buñuelos de Espinaca" (Spinach Bunuelos) and some Spaniards prepare Buñuelos de Manzana (apple bunuelos in which apple slices arre dunked in batter, fried then dusted with sugar) so I think by now we get point it can vary A LOT.

Anyways today I present to you the Mexican version of Buñuelos that I am familiar with here in the states. It is extremely popular on Christmas among the Mexican community here. They are extremely simple, they are simply round, flat, thin fried flour tortillas dusted in cinnamon sugar (literally that's it I don't even know if a recipe is needed for that)

Ingredients:
-Already made, cooked flour tortillas (amount depends on how many your making)
-oil to deep-fry
-cinnamon sugar as needed (for every 1/4 cup sugar use 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

Directions:
(1)In a large frying pan add about 1 inch worth of oil, heat it on medium high until it's sizzling (test with a wooden spoon if it bubbles it's ready) now add flour tortilla and push down as it floats up, when golden on one side flip and cook on the other side. When golden brown remove and drain.

(2)Coat in cinnamon sugar.


(4)Repeat process and keep stacking them up until ready to serve, they can last several day's and are delicious even when not freshly made. They get crunchier as they cool. You can enjoy them as dessert, I simply ate them for breakfast with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate (which I'll show you guys someday)
NOTE:
* I don't agree with wikipedia's description of Mexican Buñuelos I have never seen or had the version they describe but who knows maybe it's some regional thing;
* My mother makes her own flour tortillas, if you are interested in making flour tortillas from scratch check out my blog post for it in which my mother makes her own from scratch. In my household we usually do not buy already made flour tortillas since we do not like that it uses hydrogenated oils and a bunch of junk in most of them so we make it at home with real butter or lard:

http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/12/tortillas-de-harina-flour-tortillas.html

P.S.

*They remind me of the Spaniard "Tortas de Aciete" they are round flat type of fried dough, fried in olive oil, dusted in sugar.

Basil Seed Drink (Nuoc Hot E)

This is a very impressive looking, yet extremely easy to make beverage. The first time I ever drank a basil seed drink was near the entrance of the Saigon Plaza on one of my trips to Chinatown, Los Angeles. The drink simply looked refreshing to me, and the little basil seeds made me think of tapioca pearl drinks called "Boba" that I really enjoy.

However, at the time, I had no idea that I was drinking a drink made of basil seeds up until last week, when my boyfriend, Travis, (whom is Vietnamese) talked to me about a drink that was made from basil seeds. When the basil seeds make contact with liquid, they make a gelatinous barrier around themselves. I was intrigued and Travis told me he would make it for me sometime at my house so my family could try it. He said, "They look like frog's eyes and taste like whatever you flavor the water!" Me being the foodie that I am went to go research this basil seed drink online and that's when I found out that what I had at the Saigon Plaza was a basil seed drink also popular in Thailand. So the day finally came and my boyfriend taught me how to make this delicious and easy to make basil seed drink. We decided to make a pictorial to share this with other fellow foodies :)

Ingredients:
-1 pitcher full of water (about 9 cups water)
-1/2 cup white cane sugar
-1/4 cup honey
-1 oz. or 1 Tablespoon or about 30 grams basil seeds (Sometimes misspelled "Basel seeds", you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your drink)
-1 teaspoon extract (Optional, it's your choice, we used vanilla but you can also use banana, pandan, or peppermint; it's a matter of personal taste)

Directions:
(1) Put room temperature water into a pitcher, stir in sugar, honey, extract and finally stir in the basil seeds until everything is well incorporated. Let it rest for about 15- 20 minutes. The fun part is seeing the seeds react to the water. It's a very entertaining drink to make with children when they get to see the seeds puff up. Cool in the fridge before serving.

P.S.
I'll be posting his mother's salad dressing recipe sometime soon as well. Next time he'll teach me how to make Boba so expect a post for that in the near future :D

Edited by: Travis Thi

Tortitas de Atun (Mexican Tuna Fritters)

My mother calls these "Tortitas de Atun". I believe "Tortitas" would refer to anything that's round and "patty" like, however me and my Tata (grandmother) refer to them as "Frituras de Tuna" direct translation would be "Fritters of Tuna" but it is my mother's recipe, and so I'll respect her word choice and name the recipe "Tortitas de Atun" for this post.

The Tuna fritters are delicious, fluffy, spongy, eggy, sinful (because I must admit they are somewhat greasy) easy and quick to prepare fritters that we will make in my household when we want to make a really quick meal it literally takes less that 10-15 minutes to put together and another 10-15 to fry them. You can eat them with any hot sauce you have in the fridge, and some corn tortillas. If you wish a simple salad can be served with them or simply served with rice (probably not traditionally Mexican but heck being raised pre-dominantly in a Cuban food culture rice just feels right with everything)

Ingredients:
-4 egg whites
-4 egg yolks
-1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste if needed)
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
-1 small roma tomato minced very finely (pulp, seeds removed, only the firm flesh no liquid)
-1/2 onion minced very finely
-3 cloves of garlic mashed to a paste or minced very finely
-1/2 a bunch of Cilantro cleaned pat dried, finely minced (I had very little left in the fridge so I used less)
-2 cans of tuna packed in water
-oil to pan-fry (I used canola)

Directions:
(1) Seperate egg whites from egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and white, they should form peeks when you turn off and pull the egg beater out, when stiff beat in egg yolks, add flour, season with salt and pepper (careful not to over do the salt the canned tuna is salty already).

(2) Gently fold in onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro, and canned drained tuna.

(3) Now that your batter is formed, heat oil on medium high to high heat (not to high it will burn the fritters) when oil drop batter in by large spoonfuls to form patties, and let them fry until golden brown on one side while spooning over hot oil on them, when golden brown flip with spatula and let brown on other side.

(4) Drain them, and place them in a large plate with paper towels or paper bags to drain excess oil.
PLEASE NOTE:
-Do not expect these to be firm, super crunchy fritters, these are somewhat crispy on the outside, fully cooked inside but are tender and fluffy from the eggs, like fluffy scrambled eggs.

Espinacas Guisadas (Sauteed Spinach)

In Mexican cooking certain greens are generally sauteed in a very simple fashion and served as a side to any meal, or sometimes eggs are scrambled together with the sauteed greens to make a simple breakfast with tortillas and a hot sauce and if desired refried beans.

The recipe I present is my mother's it's quick, easy, and healthy here she sautee's spinach, you may substitute the Spinach for Purslane (Verdolagas), any variety of Swiss Chard (including Beet tops), Collard Greens, and cleaned, de- spined cactus pads that are julienned very thinly. My mother sometimes likes to combine the purslane with spinach or combine cactus pads with purslane so feel free to do that to.

Ingredients:
-2 large bunches of spinach, washed well, drained, and chopped
-2 roma tomatoes diced
-1 onion chopped
-1-2 green chili peppers (Serrano or Jalapeno) minced
-2 cloves garlic finely minced
-salt to taste
-fresh ground black pepper to taste
-oil to cook aromatics (my mother uses Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)

Directions:
(1) Heat oil in a large pan on medium high heat, then add onions and sautee until aromatic and translucent together with the green chili pepper, add a little bit of salt add garlic and sautee until fragrant, and add black pepper and stir well until fragrant, then add tomato and cook down a few minutes until it looks cooked.

(2) Add spinach, and cover until it starts to wilt a bit (check on it maybe in 2 minutes) then incorporate everything well together, add more salt to taste , and cook for a little longer until everything is well together.
PLEASE NOTE:
The way my mother washed leafy greens is she trims them and looks through them for any impurities, chops them then gives them a good rinse, afterwards she puts them in the sink with lots of water, vinegar, and salt and swooshes them around several times, drains, rinses again, then puts them in a colander to drain until ready to use. I clean my leafy greens like that to.

Rabo Encendido (Cuban Oxtail Stew)

My Tata's recipe for this delicious stew is composed of oxtail braised in a rich tomato and red wine based sauce with carrots and potatoes. Yes, yes, you might think "Another Cuban tomato based dish? They are all the same!" Well WRONG! Slight changes really make a completely new dish.

Rabo Encendido literally translates to "Tail on Fire" but "Rabo" can also refer to in slang, a male's... well you know penis a.k.a. "dick" so it could also be translated to "Dick on Fire" ha ha. My family and I were laughing last night. We were like, "Mañana vamos a comer Moros, Rabo Encendido, y Platanos a Puñetazos." ha ha. It sounds so rude, "Moros" means "Moors" (as in Moroccans but we actually mean white rice steamed with black beans) and I explained the oxtail already and the "Platanos a Puñetazos" translates to "Punched Plantains." Word play is funny. I have no idea who came up with these names originally. So for dinner we're having some Moors, dick on fire, and some punched plantains! We ended up eating it with just white rice (I was tired to make any other sides that day, I went to sleep like at 2 AM and didn't get much of it.)

Any who, the name is deceiving because although "Rabo Encendido" means "Tail on Fire," this dish is not spicy at all. I have not seen any Cuban that makes this dish spicy. Cuban dishes traditionally (or at least what I have always had) are always absent of spiciness. They are not spicy, but hot from the smokey flavors of cumin, black pepper, and Spanish varieties of smoked paprika. Although having Tabasco sauce as a condiment on the table is not rare, in my household (having a Mexican mother), very spicy homemade sauces used as condiments are common things that are always available at the dinner table regardless of what meal we are having.

Ingredients:
-4 1/2 lbs. oxtail
-1 large green bell pepper (minced)
-1 large onion (minced)
-1/2 head garlic (peeled, mashed to a paste via mortar & pestle or through a garlic press)
-1/2- 1 cup red wine
-3-4 ripe tomatoes (pureed or blended, or 2 cans of 8 oz. tomato sauce, or 1 can that is 15 oz.)
-2 large whole bay leaves
-1 teaspoonful ground cumin
-25-30 whole black peppercorns
-1 1/2- 3 cups water (depends how thin or thick you like it)
-salt to taste (at least 2 teaspoons)
-2-3 medium potatoes (peeled and cut in 4)
-5-7 carrots (about 1 pound, cut into 1-2 inch rounds)
-1/2 a bunch of parsley or cilantro (washed, stems removed, minced well)
-extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
(1) Cut some lines to make gap between the firm outer skin on the oxtail because it shrinks and you don't want it to constrict the meat in a weird way. Heat a large metal pot on very high heat WITHOUT ANY OIL until it's really hot. To see if it's hot, just sprinkle some water on it and if the water dances or instantly disappears, it's ready. Add the meat it on the fattiest side down. It should make a screaming like noise from the high heat, not a sizzle, but a thunder like sound. Do not move the meat! Let it brown and set it aside on a plate or bowl.
(2) The pan should have a blackish browning on the bottom. This is gonna lend the dish a great, strong, meaty, smokey flavor. The meat has also rendered plenty of fat so you don't need to add any oil yet unless you don't have enough. Now add the onions with bell peppers and sautee them over medium high for 7 minutes until they are see through and fragrant. At this point, add more olive oil if it is needed, then add garlic and sautee for an additional 3 minutes. Add wine and reduce the heat in half. Let it bubble and stir to deglaze the bottom. Add tomato, bay leaves, cumin, salt, and black peppercorns. Bring it to a boil and reduce 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Feel free to click on the picture of the pan with the oil to see how much oil it rendered.
(3) At this point, add the oxtail and stir, and then add water to barely cover meat (so you could still see the meat, should be about 2 cups to 3 cups of water, 16 oz.- 24 oz.). Swish it a bit and bring to a strong boil. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Towards the last 20- 30 minutes of cooking, add the potatoes and carrots. When the potatoes and carrots are tender, turn off the heat and sprinkle cilantro or parsley over.
It already looks mouthwatering! This picture came out really clear. Feel free to also enlarge this one. Yes, yes, I know I am a bad photographer, sorry I didn't take classes and am not educated in the subject of photography. I still think it looks damn good though!Goes great with white rice and can be served with moors, fried plantains or a salad, etc.

PLEASE NOTE:
* My Tata makes a really delicious type of Chinese Cuban fusion dish that can be called "Rabo Encendido Estilo Chino Cubano," (Cuban Chinese Oxtail Stew). You can check out the post for it right here:

http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/08/rabo-encendido-estilo-chino-cubano.html

* Also I really enjoy this hot chili garlic paste that my mother makes. We have at the table as a condiment. I actually had some with this dish (I just enjoy the kick):

http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/10/chile-y-ajo-en-aciete-chili-garlic.html

P.S.
*I was sooooo tempted to add a tablespoon of "Hot Smoked Spanish Paprika from La Vera" (Pimienton Picante de la Vera) or some Sweet Smoked Spanish Paprika. Maybe next time I'll give it a try with this but I wanted it to be as traditional as possible.

(Heck! I ain't gonna go kill my own cow, grow my own vegetables, press my own olive oil, and cook it over a wood fire outdoors in a clay pot just so I could make this as old school as possible!)

Potaje de Garbanzo Con Pata y Panza (Beef Foot and Tripe Stew with Chickpeas)

This is my grandmothers recipe (my Tata from my fathers side she's a small Spaniard woman from Madrid who settled in Cuba and then eventually ended up in the States). I had no idea that my grandmother even knew how to work with beef foot and tripe, this came up in a conversation I had with her when I called her up on the phone. I told her I saw in other Spanish blogs stews that combine chickpeas , beef foot and tripe such as "Callos a la Gallega" (from Pilar Lechuza's blog it's a Galician Tripe Stew)and the famous "Callos a la Madrilena" (Tripe and Beef Foot Stew from Madrid, Spain) all these Spanish stews have several versions. There is also a Mexican version that is flavored differently (with "Chile Colorado" and depending where your from in Mexico it may or may not have hominy added to it) but I'll show you guys that stew some other time.

Today I present my Tata's version of this dish which is delicious and flavorful, if you love tripe than this is the stew for you give it a try and you'll be pleased. The stew is rich and full of smokey flavors from cumin, hot smoked paprika, and spanish chorizo's in combination with a powerful aromatic sofrito with lots of garlic that is what makes this dish shine and sets it apart from the rest. It is slowly simmered for several hours and has delicious comforting chunks of calabaza and potatoes all married well together with chickpeas.

Surprisingly though my Tata hates tripe, beef foot, and most organ meats (except for liver) and it's one of the reasons she never made it for me or the household, she told me the only one who loved it was my grandfather and she would only cook it for him and eat something else. I just feel really glad and lucky my Tata is still alive to share this hidden treasure of a dish.

But before you even start preparing this dish BE WARNED this is a very time consuming dish, it takes about 5 hours total cooking time from beggining to end, good thing most of the time is simmering so you can relax and do other things at the house but just keep an eye on the clock.


*Ingredients for Part One:
-3 lbs. beef foot cut into large chunks
-1 lbs. Beef Honeycomb Tripe (Menudo de Panalito) cleaned, cut into bite size pieces
-1 lbs. Beef Book Tripe (Menudo de Librillo) cleaned, cut into bite size pieces
-1 lbs. Beef Tripe (Menudo Regular) cleaned, cut into bit size pieces
-1 large green bell pepper cut into thick strips
-salt to taste (about 3 tablespoons)
-water just enough to fill a large pot half way (just eye ball it)
-1 lbs. chickpeas cooked

*Ingredients for Part Two:
-1/2 cup more or less extra-virgin olive oil
-4 medium Spanish Chorizo's casing removed cut into rounds
-1 large green bell pepper minced
-1 large onion minced
-1 head of garlic peeled, mashed to a paste in a mortar or through a garlic press
-3 ripe medium tomatoes pureed or 1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce
-1 teaspoons ground cumin
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-2 bay leaves (I had run out at the time of this post and didn't add it but if you have it use it)
-1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked spanish paprika (optional my grandmother doesn't use it)

Ingredients Optional:
-1/2- 1 lbs. calabaza cut into large chunks (butternut, Banana, or Caribbean squash are good choices)
-3-4medium potatoes peeled halved

*Directions for part One:
(1) Soak chickpeas overnight if making from scratch, next day drain and boil in water until tender in pot for about 1-2 hours. When they are cooked drain and set aside (if you want to make your life easier buy some cans of chickpeas and drain well and set aside I made it from scratch though)

(2) Meanwhile while chickpeas are cooking get the beef foot and tripe already cut (ask your butcher to cut it for you, trust me you do not want to cut this at home, they are very tough to cut on your own) and rinse them once, then put them in the sink with plenty of salt, vinegar, and some lime juice and limes to clean them well, let them soak for atleast 15- 20 minutes.

(3) Meanwhile in a large pot bring water to a boil with 1 large green bell pepper cut into thick strips, salt, and whole black peppercorns if using. When water boils rinse beef foot that's been soaking several times and add to water, cover and simmer on low for about 2 hours (I am not kidding yes 2 hours it takes a long time to cook)

(4) Meanwhile rinse the tripe cuts several times, and drain well, after beef foot boils for 2 hours add tripe and boil for atleast 2 more hours.

*Directions for Part Two:
(1) Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat, then add Spanish Chorizo and cook until thet oil turns red, lower to medium heat add minced onion and bell pepper cook down for 7 minutes then add garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes, add cumin, oregano, black pepper, and hot smoked paprika, stir for about 30 seconds then add tomato and cook tomato down for about 5-7 minutes. After the beef foot and tripe are tender add this sautee mixture to the stew.
(2)Add potatoes and calabaza (squash) and chickpeas, boil together everything for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour uncovered over medium low heat to let the stew reduce a bit and the broth to thicken.


(3)Serve in large bowls with good bread and a raw salad dressed in olive oil, lemon or lime, and salt.
PLEASE NOTE:
*Depending on your preference this stew can be thick or thin depending on the amount of water you add, mine was somewhere inbetween. Be sure to taste the stew towards the end to insure that it is properly salted.

*In the old days or in some countries Tripe is sold unclean and one must wash well and leave in vinegar over night, fortunately here the tripe is very well cleaned and one could buy it already cut up all it needs is a quick rinse and some soaking in vinegar and lime for a short time to be all ready.

*You can use 3 lbs of any part of the tripe you like, I just wanted to use a mixture of different parts of it.