This is Filipino menudo. Pork, liver, peas, potatoes, carrots. There is a Mexican menudo which is similar to what we call callos. Although menudo is not exactly something I’d serve at a party (my mother-in-law is right when she described it as too much everyday fare), I’d crave menudo now and then, especially on rainy days. It’s something from my childhood. Menudo was something that my father would cook on a Sunday and it was a dish that I often found in my school lunch box. It is comfort food.
This is an updated recipe. The old one had what I now feel as confusing instructions so I didn’t bother retaining it. Besides, this recipe is much, much better. Back then, I was still using tomato paste whenever I couldn’t get my hands on enough plump and juicy fresh tomatoes. Today, I know that canned stewed tomatoes are a better substitute.
Eight years ago, I cooked the potato and carrot cubes separately and added them to the stew at the last minute. I don’t do that anymore because I know now that it is better to add raw potatoes and carrots to the stew so that while they slowly cook, they absorb the flavors of the meats and the sauce.
Eight years ago, I added raisins to my menudo very sparingly. My, bad. It is the raisins that impart a wonderful sweetness to the stew that balances the acidity of the tomatoes and the spiciness of the chorizo. These days, I use half a cup of raisins rather than two tablespoonfuls.
Ingredients
600 g. of pork belly or shoulder, skin on
250 g. of pork liver
60 to 70 g. of smoky Spanish sausage (see notes below)
1/2 tsp. of minced garlic
2 onions
3 potatoes, peeled
1 carrot, peeled
2 bell peppers
4 tbsps. of olive oil
1 15-oz. can of whole unpeeled tomatoes
1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
1/2 c. of raisins
1/3 c. of sweet peas
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut the pork meat, liver, carrot, and potatoes into cubes. Refrigerate the liver until needed.
Cut the sausage into thin rings.
Roughly chop the onions.
Remove the seeds of the bell peppers (see how). Cut the peppers into thin slices.
In a heavy thick-bottomed pot or casserole, heat the olive oil.
Over medium-high heat, lightly brown the pork pieces.
Add the garlic and chopped onions. Cook until the vegetables start to soften.
Add the oregano, raisins, bell peppers, bay leaf, and canned tomatoes with all the liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 40 minutes.
When the pork is almost done, add the carrot and potato cubes. Simmer for another 10 minutes. There should be very little liquid left by this time. That’s the way it should be as menudo is not a soup.
Add the liver cubes. Simmer for another seven to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings, if needed.
Fish out the bay leaf before serving.
Serve hot with rice or bread.
Quick notes
There are many kinds of Spanish chorizos sold in the market today. The most familiar is chorizo de Bilbao. You can use any variety. Just please don’t substitute hotdogs.
Unlike pork meat, pork liver becomes tougher with longer cooking. It is always advisable to add the liver towards the end of the cooking time. When liver is cut into small pieces, as with pork menudo, they are fully cooked within minutes. To test for doneness, take a piece of liver from the casserole after about 3 minutes of cooking. Pierce the liver through the center with a fork. If blood runs out, cook for another 30 seconds.