A legacy of 300-plus years Spanish colonization, Callos is a hearty stew made of beef tripe, ox feet, Chorizo de bilbao, garbanzo beans, green peas and bell peppers slow-cooked in a paprika-infused tomato sauce. The backbone of this dish is the full-flavored broth and nothing will ruin it more than the malodor of beef tripe. I like to soak the tripe in a solution of vinegar and salt to rid it of its barnyard stench. I also like to discard the first boil and start again with a fresh pot of water to ensure that the resulting stock is free of sediments and unpleasant smell. Try this dish for dinner tonight and let me know what you think.
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Yield: 8 Servings
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pound honeycomb tripe
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons rock salt
  • water
  • 2 pounds ox feet, cut into pieces
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 strips bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, peeled and minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 pieces Thai chili peppers, stemmed and minced
  • 5 ounces (about 2 pieces) Chorizo de Bilbao, cut in a bias into ¼-inch thick pieces
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 cups beef broth (reserved from boiling tripe and ox feet)
  • ½ (15.5 ounces) can garbanzo beans, drained
  • ½ red bell pepper, seeded, cored and cut into cubes
  • ½ green bell pepper, seeded, cored and cut into cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • (1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. With a knife, cut and discard any yellowish fat or loose membrane attached on the flat side of the tripe. In a bowl, combine vinegar and rock salt. Add tripe and enough cold water to cover. Soak for about 1 hour. Drain and rinse well under cold running water.
  2. In a pot over medium heat, add beef tripe, ox feet and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes. When scum begins to rise, drain in a colander and discard liquid. Rinse tripe and ox feet. Rinse pot. Place meat in the clean pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming scum that floats on top. When broth clears, add quartered onions, crushed garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves. Lower heat, cover and cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until meat are tender but not falling apart.
  3. In a colander, drain tripe and ox feet. Discard aromatics and reserve about 2 to 3 cups of the broth. Allow meat to cool to touch. Cut meat off ox bones and slice into 1-inch thick strips. Cut tripe into 1-inch thick strips.
  4. In a pot over medium heat, add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally. When bacon begins to render fat, add chopped onions, minced garlic and chili peppers and cook until limp. Add Chorizo de bilbao and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned and begins to release color. Add paprika and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add meat from ox bones and beef tripe. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add tomato sauce and 2 cups of the reserved broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and cook for about 40 to 50 minutes or until meat are fork tender and sauce is reduced to about 1 cup. Add garbanzo beans and cook until heated through. Add bell peppers and green peas. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until bell peppers are tender yet crisp and green peas are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

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