Pepper Pot Soup Day

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By Chef Diane

According to holidayinsites.com, During the Revolutionary war, the Continental army was camped at Valley Forge. The winter was cold and harsh. Conditions were deplorable. Food was often scarce. George Washington asked his army's chef to prepare a meal for the army that would both warm them, and boost their moral. The chef found scraps of tripe, small bits of meat and some peppercorn. He mixed this in with some other ingredients, and created Pepper Pot soup, also known as "Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup”. The hot, and somewhat spicy soup, was well received by the troops. It was called "the soup that won the war”.

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Originally tripe was a main ingredient of this soup, but today, you can substitute with chicken or beef. Here is a recipe from allrecipes.com for the traditional soup, try some today to warm you up.  It just might help you win a war too.

PEPPER POT SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 pound honeycomb tripe or chicken or beef

5 slices bacon, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 leeks, chopped

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

2 green bell peppers, diced

2 quarts beef stock

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large potato, peeled and diced

2 large carrots, diced

4 tablespoons margarine

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1.         Place the tripe or other meat that you have selected to use in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Allow the meat to cool a bit in the water, and then drain and rinse. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces.

2.         In a large heavy kettle, saute the bacon until clear. Add the onion, celery, leeks, parsley, and green peppers; saute until tender.

3.         Stir in beef stock, thyme, marjoram, cloves, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and black pepper. Bring the kettle to a boil, and turn down to a simmer. Cook, covered, until meat is very tender, about 2 hours.

4.         Add the diced potato and carrots, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

5.         Prepare the roux by stirring the flour into the melted butter or margarine, and cooking for a moment on the stove. When the soup is done to your liking, stir in the roux. Simmer, stirring all the while, until the soup thickens a bit. Correct the seasonings.

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Boston Tea Party Day

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By Diane Forrest

In the 1700's the Europeans discovered a fondness for tea, however, it was not grown in Europe, and had to be imported from India.  England began to run low of their supply of tea because of the 7 years’ war, so King George decided that in order to replenish the supply, and to cover additional costs, he would place a tax on the American Colonies.  Well, Parliament didn't appreciate the tax on their tea, which was being obtained through England, then sold to the colonies.  So they decided to find their tea elsewhere, which was illegal at the time.

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The Whigs, the political party at the time...decided to hold a strike, and stop drinking tea all together.  Then the King passed the Tea Act.  This made the patriots furious, because it was done in secret, so they took a stand.  On December 16, three ships entered the Boston Harbor and the Boston officials refused to return it.  That night, colonists boarded the ships, and began to throw the tea in the harbor.  Some of them even dressed as Indians to prevent being recognized.   This angered Parliament, and they issued more acts against the colonies.

The colonies rebelled, and in 1775 the Revolutionary War began near Boston.  Historians suggest that had it not been for the event of the Boston Tea Party, the America's would have remained under British rule for quite some time. The uprising was caused by a series of unfortunate events on the side of Bostonian s caused by British oppressors. It all started from the love of tea.

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Today, we recognize the men who took part in this historic event that changed the course of history and our country as we know it.  I think it is amazing that a cup of tea would start a war and free us from British rule, so today, have a nice cup of tea, or some iced tea, and remember those Patriots to fought for our freedom,