Victor Sack wrote:
> Michael Press > wrote:
>
>> I was
>> given an Iberian meat stew to prepare. It had three or
>> four meats including a sausage, and was spiced with
>> saffron.
>
> One can only guess... I'd look up callos a la madrileña - it is a stew
> with tripe, calf's feet and sausages, saffron is sometimes used in the
> dish... I'm sure some misguided people make it sans tripe...
>
> Victor

Heh! That exact thing came to MY mind too. The following recipe,
which I have made several times, doesn't contain saffron, but the
OP could always figure out a way to add it.

Callos a la Madrileña (Tripe Madrid Style)
Source: "The Foods and Wines of Spain" by Penelope Casas, pp.
322-323.

Some of PC's comments on this are that tripe varies in the amount
of time it takes to cook—you want it to be tender. Also, as with
many stews, this is better made the day before you plan to consume it.

1 lb beef tripe
1/2 c dry white wine
1 fresh or canned small tomato, chopped
1 pig's foot, split in half
2 sprigs parsley
10 peppercorns, lightly crushed
2 cloves, crushed
dash of nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
3/4-1 tsp salt
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium small onion, finely chopped
1/4 lb chorizo, in 1/4–inch slices
1/4 c diced cured ham
1 tbsp flour
1 Tbsp paprika [since PC doesn't elaborate, I used half sweet and
half hot—-oh the thought of using smoky Spanish paprika, which I
didn't have back when I was making this!!!!]
1/2 dried red chili pepper, seeds removed and crumbled

Rinse tripe well. Place in pot and cover with water. Bring to a
boil, then drain immediately. Cut tripe in 1 1/2-inch squares and
return it to the empty pot. Add 3 cups water, wine, tomatoes,
pig's foot, parsley, peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves,
thyme, salt, the coarsely chopped onion, and the garlic. Cover
and cook over very low heat 4-5 hours, or until meats are almost
tender.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil and sauté the finely chopped
onion until it is wilted. Add the chorizo and ham and cook 5
minutes. Stir in the flour and paprika and cook a minute. Add
1/2 cup of the cooking liquid from the pot and stir until the
mixture thickens. Add this and the chile pepper to the tripe and
cook 1-2 hours more, covered. Uncover and cook 1-2 hours, or
until very tender.
Remove bone from pig's foot and discard. Cut the meat into
pieces and stir into the tripe. Serve ... accompanied by a green
salad and plenty of good crusty bread for dunking. A hearty red
wine from the region—-Balada, for example—-is needed for this dish.
JB's notes: I like to add a 20-oz can of chickpeas (drained)
ere the final 1-2 hours of cooking. The last time I made this, I
added one minced chipotle pepper and ca 1 tsp of the liquid from
the can (these things vary a lot in intensity...). I increased
the wine to 1 cup. I used 2 pig's feet, probably because that is
how they were packaged, and I had nothing to do with the remaining
one. I halved the sausage, which was Portuguese, and then sliced
it. I used about 1 cup of it. I also increased the ham to 1/2
cup. With the preceding two changes, reduce the salt to 1/4 tsp.
You might even start with none! The flour seems to be
unnecessary, and may be responsible for the tendency for this dish
to scorch. (Bewa stir this frequently—-especially after you
add the chick peas if you use them!—or for the final 1-2 hours, if
you don't use them.) Whether or not the final 1-2 hours of
cooking is done covered or uncovered depends on how watery the
sauce is; use your judgment. I ended up throwing out the pig's
feet. Probably heresy, but it didn't seem too worthwhile to cope
with it to get the tiny bit of meat that was there. (I think I
would be more inclined to deal with them now.) I am pondering the
addition of a bit of cilantro at the end.

--
Jean B.