Cold Weather Cuisine

I’m getting sick of Thanksgiving leftovers, which are far from exhausted. I had errands today, and it was a brisk cold winter morning, and that put me in mind of a local treat.

So I went to a nearby restaurant and ordered a big heapin’ bowl of menudo. Which, for those uninitiated among you, is cow’s stomach chopped up and simmered in a red chile broth, served with sides of chile flakes, chopped onion, tangy Mexican oregano, and sliced lemon (which I put in my tea).

Warm, hearty peasant cooking, just right for a cold winter’s day. It really hit the spot.

Around here we have a saying, “Menudo pera los crudos,” menudo for the hangover. I haven’t tried menudo for that reason, since I don’t get hangovers since I stopped drinking cheap booze, but I know people who swear by it. Cow’s stomach just sops those toxins right up, apparently.

In my case, what was hanging over was Thanksgiving. And now I’m cured.