CATALUNA CALLOS RECIPE

The following is a recipe from Chef Jaume, my Mentor-Chef here in Barcelona. We prepared this yesterday at his professionally equipped home kitchen, as my first lesson since we loved Callos so much in Madrid. It is surprisingly simple because much of the classic stewing techniques are used.

-  put large piece of tripe in water, add juice of half a lemon, soak for 30"
-  cut into small rectangular pieces as shown
-  saute thinly sliced garlic in olive oil until infused, to fragrant but not burned
-  add diced onion, cubed carrots and cook till soft
-  add chunks of poached veal (ideally) shown next to onion
-  if not available it can be pork belly as long as it yields gelatin effect
-  add chunks of good quality Jamon ham shown next to carrot
-  add 2 kinds of sausages, Blood & Chorizo, in large round pieces
-  'grate' 2 tomatoes into the mixture, including juice & seeds but discard skin
-  add generous splash of brandy & same amount of white wine
-  sprinkle of salt, not too much, just to give flavor edge
-  add 2-3 teaspoons of smoked paprika
-  add water to slightly cover mixture, still well
-  medium heat at low simmer, do not boil
-  takes probably 1-hour until liquid reduced, watch carefully as sauce must not be dry  
-  texture of tripe is key, needs to be soft, but to individual preference
-  season at this stage if one prefers more salt, pepper, or spices (do not over season)
-  last minute stir in precooked soft chick peas, large ones if possible, do not over-cook
-  alternatively Spanish white soy beans

Chef Jaume suggests cooking this one day before, keep in fridge so the jelly will form, and reheat before service. This of course will intensify the flavors in a big way. It is best to serve with crusty bread but I think hot steamed rice might also do the trick.

This works, and it is super cool Spanish comfort food ... happy cooking!