Trippa alla Romana

Trippa alla Romana (Roman style tripe) was once a popular dish for the poor inhabitants of Rome. Saturday was the traditional day to eat tripe. Today it is a staple of Roman cuisine.

Tripe recipes vary from one region to another in Italy. In Rome, tripe is cooked with tomato, guanciale, pecorino and the Roman herb mentuccia. Guanciale (cured pork cheek) is readily available in the UK in these days, but pancetta can be used as a substitute. Pecorino Romano is a hard cheese made from sheep’s milk, with a salty and tangy taste. It will be difficult to find mentuccia. Its fragrance is a cross between mint and oregano. It may therefore be substituted by these two herbs.

Tripe is the muscle wall (with the interior mucosal lining removed) of the stomach which has four compartments – the rumen (blanket/flat/smooth tripe), the reticulum (honeycomb /pocket tripe), the omasum (book/bible/leaf tripe) and the abomasum (reed tripe). Blanket tripe is the least desirable type. Honeycomb tripe is the most popular and has a wonderful look, whereas book tripe tends to be more delicate and tender. Reed tripe is the most flavourful but it is not easily available.

You can buy precooked tripe and will only need to stew them in tomato sauce (skip Step 1 of Instructions). However, this recipe will explain how to pre-cook tripe.

Trippa alla Romana (Roman Style Tripe)

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes 2 hours 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 kg honeycomb ox tripe, cut into strips
• 100g guanciale (or pancetta), cut into cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• A small pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 800g canned San Marzano PDO or plum tomatoes
• 150ml white wine
• Leaves of 4 sprigs of mentuccia or 2 sprigs of each of oregano and mint, chopped
• 100g Perocrino Romano, grated

For precooking the tripe:

• 100ml vinegar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1. For precooking the tripe, cover the tripe with enough water in a pressure cooker or a stockpot. Add vinegar, salt and bay leaves. If you are using a pressure cover, cover and cook at high pressure for 1.5 hours. Then release the pressure naturally. If you are using a stockpot, bring to the boil. Cover and then simmer for 3 hours. Rinse the tripe with cold water and set aside.
2. Sauté the guanciale (or pancetta) in a pan over low heat until it has rendered its fat and becomes translucent and crispy. Add oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Continue sautéing until soft. This may take about 10 minutes.
3. Add the pre-cooked tripe, bay leaves, chilli flakes, tomatoes and white wine. Mix well and simmer for about 45 mins, stirring from time to time to avoid scorching, until the tripe is tender and the sauce is very thick with the oil rising to the surface. Adjust seasoning with salt.
4. Serve with the grated pecorino and herbs on top. This would be a very satisfying meal with some rustic bread and red wine.