Nelli Beach Week - Nonna's Special Meal

Nonna's "Special Meal" has been a tradition for many years.  Nonna would prepare a "special" exotic meal for her grandchildren, not telling them what it was.  Only the most adventurous eaters could attend and bragging rights would go to the grandchild who could guess what she had prepared.  I think it started with Jed who would eat anything and say it was the best meal he had ever had.  She kept thinking there had to be something he wouldn't eat, or try, or not like...  She made escargot, cow's tounge and pigs feet.  Her crazy grandchildren, the brave ones anyway, tried it everytime.  Well before she died, she confided the meal she had planned for this year to Katie Gray.  Katie Gray took on this tradition and carried out her wishes at the beach this year.  Can you guess what this is?  It kind of looks like pasta but I can promise you it is much much more exotic than pasta!

 Katie Gray, in the green is serving it up here.  There was quite a crowd to see what the meal was going to be this year.

 Here are some more good natured taste testers..  Jed is in the yellow.  He said he liked it but nobody could guess what the mystery meal was.  Do you want to know?

Nonna's Special Meal for the summer of 2011 was:  Tripe!  And what the heck is tripe, you might wonder?  I didn't know what it was, but I was soon educated by Katie Gray who did all the research.  It is the inside lining of a cow's stomach.  It is called Menudo in mexican cuisine and is also a popular italian dish.  The process to cook it requires multiple sessions in boiling water, rinsing the tripe and changing out the water each time.  It has a very strong odor that fills the house... Okay, yes, it stinks.  And I tried it... it is the most rubbery and tasteless thing I have ever tried.  You couldn't slice it with the side of your fork and it took a long time to chew.  Jed insisted that he liked it and the tradition lives on.