Menudo (Mexican Tripe and Hominy Soup)

Instructions

Wipe the ancho chiles with a damp paper towel, and toast them on a hot griddle for about 15 seconds per side if you like. Boil them in a small pot for 10 minutes, turning often, then drain, cover with cold water and let them cool for a few minutes. Remove the stems, slit each chile open lengthwise, rinse out the seeds, and purée the chiles in a blender. Refrigerate the purée overnight.

Put the pigs feet and pork ribs in a pot with the rinsed hominy and the salt. Snip the chiles de arbol into rings, discarding stems and seeds, and add them. Pour in water to no more than 1 cm above the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Simmer this posole uncovered until the ribs are cooked, then take the pot off the heat. Pull the meat from the ribs, dice it small, return it to the posole, and discard the bones. Move the cooked pigs feet to a pressure cooker.

Trim the fat from the tripe, scrubbing the smooth side with a stiff brush if fat clings to it. Cut the tripe into pieces about ¾ to 1 inch across. If it smells very strong, soak it in clean water for an hour or boil it for five minutes, then discard that water.

Put the tripe on top of the feet in the pressure cooker, and add the garlic, bay leaves and oregano. Add water to about 1 cm above the ingredients and cook at full pressure for 35 to 40 minutes. Take it off the heat and let the pressure drop completely on its own.

Lift out the feet, remove the bones, and return the meat to the tripe. Combine this stew with the posole in a large bowl, keeping all the solids below the liquid, and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, skim off the hardened fat from the surface. Reheat a portion on the stove or in the microwave, ladle it into a bowl, and stir in a tablespoon of the ancho purée. Serve with lime, corn tortillas, onion and cilantro.