Pepper pot soup first made its way to the West Indies and then to the US through slaves from West Africa. US ports that did the most trading with the West Indies—Charleston, South Carolina; Norfolk, Virginia; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—were the first to embrace pepper pot soup. The dish remains popular today, especially along the East Coast. There are several regional variations of the soup and vary depending on what is available. The traditional recipe combines affordable cuts of meat like beef tripe with pepper and other seasonings, and vegetables including peppers, potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery.
Recipe Servings: 10
Prep Time
20 minutes
+ 10 minutes resting
+ 10 minutes resting
Cook Time
Total Time
30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef tripe (can substitute another type of meat)
- 5 slices bacon, diced
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- 3 leeks, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 green bell peppers, diced
- 2 qts beef stock
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried marjoram
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (cayenne) flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp ground black pepper and more to taste
- ½ tsp ground cloves (optional)
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 4 Tbsp margarine
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Place the tripe or other meat in a large saucepan, cover it with water, and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before draining, rinsing, and cutting the meat into ¼-inch pieces.
- Put the bacon in a large pot and set it over medium-low heat. Once the bacon begins to cook and becomes translucent, add the onion, celery, leeks, parsley, and green pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the beef stock, thyme, marjoram, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, black pepper, and cloves, if using.
- Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer.
- Cook, covered, for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
- Add the potato and carrots and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Melt the margarine in a skillet set over medium heat.
- Add the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir the margarine-flour mixture into the soup and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens.
- Taste the soup, adding salt and pepper as desired, and serve.
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