Tripe with Tomato Sauce
Tripe with Tomato Sauce
Tripe is best known in Italian families. People who are not raised eating it will either love it or hate it. The texture is important, it must be soft, but not mushy. It has a subtle flavor and takes on the flavor of the sauce it's cooked it.
Not all Italians make it in tomato sauce. Every town in Italy cooks a little different. My mother and father's families come for northern Italian and my husband's family comes from Sicily and a lot of the dishes are cooked very differently. This is how I learned how to cook it. I don't remember my mother ever making it, so I learned from my mother-in-law.
Tripe is actually the intestines of a cow. It doesn't sound appetizing but my children love and they are very particular. When I cook it I usually make 10 lbs. at a time so we have plenty of left overs. I wrote the recipe for 5 lbs. to make it easier.
A must is to have a loaf of crusty Italian bread to dip in the sauce and a glass of your favorite wine; for the adults only, please. Try it, you just might like it. Mangiare Buono!
Tripe with Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
- 5 lbs. raw tripe
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 (6oz.) cans tomato paste
- 1 (28oz.) can tomato puree
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- to taste salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian season
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 (6oz.) cans and 3/4 (28oz.) can water
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 2 stalks celery, halved
Directions
- Put the tripe in a large cooking pot and cover with water and add one medium onion, peeled and cut in quarters and 2 stalks of celery, halved. Cover and bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, drain off most of the water and add clean water; repeat using the same vegetables; do this a third time then cook for 10 minutes. Drain in colander and let it cool
- In another sauce pan, heat the oil and add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree, paste, water and the rest of the ingredients. Stir until the tomato paste is completely dissolved and bring to medium heat.
- Clean and cut the tripe (your butcher may clean and slice it for you). You will have to cut it in chunks. As you cut it a handful at a time, add it to the sauce. When it is all incorporated into the sauce, just stir, put a lid on it and bring to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 1 and a half hours until the tripe is soft but not mushy.
