Patsas

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kgbeef or lamb tripe
• 4pig or veal trotters, split
• coarse salt
• vinegar
• flour

Broth

• 4 litreswater
• 1onion
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 1carrot
• salt

Skordostoumbi, the garlic vinegar

• 8 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 150 mlred wine vinegar
• 1 tspsalt

Avgolemono finish, optional

• 3eggs
• juice of 2 lemons

To serve

• dried chilli flakes
• black pepper
• bread

Directions

1. Rinse the tripe under cold running water, then scrub it hard on both sides with coarse salt and flour. Salt and flour together work as an abrasive and lift the film in a way that water alone will not.
2. Rinse it, then scrub again with vinegar, and repeat the whole cycle three or four times. Keep going until it is pale and smells clean. Cover everything with cold water, bring it to the boil, and boil hard for 10 minutes. Discarding the first boil takes away the scum and the strongest smell, and skipping it is the commonest mistake.
3. Return the tripe and trotters to the clean pot with 4 litres of fresh water. Add the onion, bay, peppercorns and carrot and bring it back to a bare simmer.
4. Simmer, partly covered, for 3 to 4 hours, skimming whenever foam gathers. Skim it patiently throughout. Keep it at the barest simmer. The tripe is ready when it cuts easily with the side of a spoon and has no chew left at all.
5. Lift everything out, discard the bones and vegetables, and cut the tripe into strips. Strain the broth through a cloth if you want it very clear. Return the tripe to the strained broth and season with salt.
6. Let it stand 15 minutes before serving so the garlic infuses. For an avgolemono finish, take the pot off the heat entirely and let it stop bubbling. Whisk the eggs until frothy, whisk in the lemon juice, then add hot broth a ladleful at a time, whisking continuously. Egg poured into hot soup scrambles into threads instantly and the whole pot is ruined.
7. Pour it back in, stirring, and warm it gently without ever letting it approach a simmer. Serve very hot in deep bowls, with the garlic vinegar, chilli flakes and pepper on the table for each person to add.

Technique

• Ask the butcher for cleaned tripe, which cuts the preparation considerably.
• Honeycomb tripe holds the broth best.
• It sets to a jelly in the fridge from the trotter gelatine, which is a good sign.

Substitutions

• Lamb tripe, which cooks faster and is milder.
• A pressure cooker, which brings the long simmer down to about an hour.

Variations

• Finished with avgolemono rather than served plain.
• With more chilli, which is common in northern Greece.
• Made with lamb heads as well, which is traditional.

History

Sold in all-night patsatzidika near Greek markets, long the meal of butchers and revellers heading home.

Frequently asked questions

What is Patsas?

Patsas is a soup & stew from Greece: tripe and trotter soup with garlic vinegar, eaten at dawn. Sold in all-night patsatzidika near Greek markets, long the meal of butchers and revellers heading home.

How long does Patsas take to make?

Patsas takes 1 hr of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Patsas?

Yes, within limits. Lamb tripe, which cooks faster and is milder. A pressure cooker, which brings the long simmer down to about an hour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Patsas?

Rinse it, then scrub again with vinegar, and repeat the whole cycle three or four times. Keep going until it is pale and smells clean. Cover everything with cold water, bring it to the boil, and boil hard for 10 minutes. Discarding the first boil takes away the scum and the strongest smell, and skipping it is the commonest mistake.