Tripe: Preparing, Cooking

[NulloModo]

Hi,

I have decided that tomorrow, for the first time ever, I will try to cook, and then eat, Tripe. However, I have never sampled it, have no idea how to prepare it (well, not completely true, I've just read a bunch of recipes and ideas via google) and don't really know what it _should_ taste like.

So, for all of the Tripe experts in the forum, give me some good ideas :). I am fairly open to any suggestion, and have particular interest in one I have seen called 'Chinese Red Tripe' that involves a soy and ginger sauce, but Mexican and European preparation ideas are equally as welcome.

Edited June 10, 2004 by NulloModo (log)

[jaypm51]

Tripe, which I love, is more about texture than intrinsic flavor. Therefore to protect what little flavor it has is important. It is also extremely versatile in that it relies heavily on the ingredients with which it is cooked for most of its flavor.

I prefer a classic French preparation where the tripe is long cooked in the oven at low temperature in a covered or sealed pot, with enough liquid and vegetables (fundamentally carrots, onions and garlic) to create a rich and flovorfull sauce.

Unless you know the tripe to be very fresh (I like honeycomb) soak it in cold water for several hours. Do not blanch or parboil or you will remove what little flavor there is in the tripe. Prior to cooking, the tripe should be cut into small squares or strips, 1 - 1 1/2 inches or so. Veggies should be thinly sliced or cut into medium dice. Flavor with a bouquet garni and salt and pepper.

Before serving, add some white wine, reduced with shallots, and and finish on stovetop over medium heat while adjusting the seasonings.

I also add cow or calf's foot to the pot as well which helps to richen and smooth the sauce.

[bleudauvergne]

I also like to eat tripe, I have eaten it in China and in France, and prefer the French way. Where I live now it is often served in a tomato sauce or in a terrine.

[NulloModo]

I decided to go with the recommendations for a french preparation, and earlier this evening started up putting together:

Honeycomb tripe

thyme

bay leaf

parsely

onion

garlic

fennel

EVOO

Well, halfway through cutting the fennel I managed to also almost slice off the tip of my left index finger. A short trip to the emergency room, a bandage, a tetnus shot, and $25 later, I returned to put the tripe into the oven. I will let you know how it turns out.

[tissue]

THere is a good recipe for tripe in the Babbo cookbook.

[scottie]

Well, halfway through cutting the fennel I managed to also almost slice off the tip of my left index finger. A short trip to the emergency room, a bandage, a tetnus shot, and $25 later, I returned to put the tripe into the oven. I will let you know how it turns out.

AAAGH!

This also happened to me!

I was so used to using my old, dull knives, then I went to visit my parents, and their knives had been freshly sharpened...

I was slicing scallions when suddenly, OMG! My thumb-tip was sitting on the counter! With fingernail attached!

It was quite disgusting.

My family is very macho about things like the emergency room, so I didn't go. I had cotton stuck to my thumb for at least a week.

I think your story is more punk rock, as you returned to bake the tripe.

pretty cool.

[Dana]

The only tripe I've ever tried was in menudo. It was awful. Like trying to eat human skin. GAK

[NulloModo]

Well, I am not sure if I prepared it improperly, or if this is just how tripe is, but I am not wholely impressed.

The taste was very good, and in fact the veggies that had stewed in the 'tripe juice' were excellent. However the texture was very rubbery and chewy, major turn off for me.

[Adam Balic]

Cooking etc depends on the type of tripe and what you want from it. After preparation it is largely connective tissue, so think 'gelatine'. Tripe à la mode de Caen is cooked for 24 hours or more and it is very tender and in Chianti you can buy cold pre-cooked tripe, which you eat simply by dosing with olive oil.

[Boris_A]

in Chianti you can buy cold pre-cooked tripe, which you eat simply by dosing with olive oil.

Served precooked in larger pieces (say about 4"x4" size) with a sauce vinaigrette is a Swiss regional dish fromn the north.

Another traditional example is a soup called Busecca from northern Italy or the Italian part of Switzerland

[foodie52]

Tripe is the only thing I've ever cooked that I classify as a total failure. Even my dog refused to eat it.

[JerzyMade]

Tripe is the only thing I've ever cooked that I classify as a total failure. Even my dog refused to eat it.

I don't doubt your results. If it sucks, it sucks! No two ways about it.

But, tripe is tricky. It is a very popular polish dish. The preparation is very similar to mexican menudo, but the end result couldn't be more different. First time I had the chance to try menudo, I thought, oh, great, it's just tripe, I'm gonna love it. I was shocked. Menudo sucks! No, I don't want to start a war. The fact is that I'm used to a very different seasoning mix. Someone used to menudo would probably think that polish tripe sucks. To me, menudo tastes as if someone cooked the tripe with nothing else. Tripe is very gelatinous, a lot of connective tissue, and a specific, but bland flavor. It requires something else to bring out the flavor.

From the technical standpoint, a good way to handle tripe is to treat it as a braise. It should be sliced (practically shredded) to about the same "geometry" as cabbage for a cole slaw. I like a 50-50 mixture of book and honeycomb tripe. With additional flavor enhancers, for example short ribs or an ox tail, and mirepoix. it should be braised for a long time. Marjoram works great as the main seasoning, both in the early stages and towards the end of the braising. Throw in some chicken or veal stock to moisten the braise.

Well prepared, and well seaoned, tripe can be sublime, but it's probably one of the hardest things to get right if you've never tasted a good sample.

[bleudauvergne]

It is very good the way Jerzymade describes it with an addition of tomatoes as well.

[Bicycle Lee]

The only tripe I have ever eaten was at a roadside taco stand...I really only did it to show the Mexicanos that I was no silly, carne asada eatin gringo...you know, a little bravado...it wasn't bad, although I'll stick to the tongue and head meat, thanks...

I have been curious to try braised tripe... I bet that if you cooked it much like a lamb shank (ie lower temp and longer time) it would be quite tasty... BE SURE TO WASH IT WELL!!! Then I say cover it in a mix of beef stock (homemade if you got it), tomatoes, whole, halved lemon, garlic and maybe parsely...cook at like 325 or even lower for a few hours and see what comes out...this is not something I can actually vouch for, it is just an idea. Tripe may very well be like escargot...the more it cooks the tougher it gets...I dunno...

Good luck

[Mistinguett]

Overcooking tripe kills the texture as it becomes stringy. The perfect texture of cooked tripe should be similar to tendon: slightly chewy but "melt in your mouth".

I'm not sure but I have the feeling that tripe in US supermarkets has been blanched or parboiled as I found it cooks faster than I was used to in Europe (where, btw, tripe is dirty and needs lots of cleaning with salt); my european recipe for tripe soup requires 2 1/2 hours of boiling the tripe with soup vegetables, while with the US tripe it could be only 30-45 minutes. I always boil/braise the trip just until I can fairly easy stick a fork in it (my recipes ask for tripe to be boiled whole and cut after cooling a bit).

NulloModo, my advice would be that you try different tripe dishes in restaurants as tripe is definitely an acquired taste. But if your first experience does not stop you from trying again, here's one of my recipes.

2 lb. of tripe, 1 onion/2 carrots/1 parsnip/1 bay leaf go to boil in about 3-4 quarts of salted water. You may add a big beef bone as it provides more flavor. Skim as necessary and boil on medium until done. Take the tripe out of the pot and cool, than cut in strips 1/2x2".

In another pot saute 1 grated carrot in butter, add 1 tsp. of flour (the thickening agent for the sauce) saute for 1 more minute, than add about 1 cup of the tripe liquid and boil down for a couple of minutes. Strain the sauce and mix in 2 egg yolks and lemon juice to taste (1-2 tbls), mix the sauce with the tripe and heat through on low for a couple of minutes.

[Hest88]

I'm not sure but I have the feeling that tripe in US supermarkets has been blanched or parboiled as I found it cooks faster than I was used to in Europe

You're right. Most tripe in the U.S. has been blanched and bleached. You can buy green tripe, but not easily.

[Adam Balic]

in Chianti you can buy cold pre-cooked tripe, which you eat simply by dosing with olive oil.

Served precooked in larger pieces (say about 4"x4" size) with a sauce vinaigrette is a Swiss regional dish fromn the north.

Another traditional example is a soup called Busecca from northern Italy or the Italian part of Switzerland

And there are the different types of tripe as well inter-species and intra-animal (ruminants have four stomachs after all). In Florence there are still a number of street tripe stalls, one item they sell is "lampredotto", which I think is the abomasal stomach (could be intestine, but it smells like abomasum), but unlike most tripe the mucosal layer hasn't been removed. Last week I had braised lampredotto in a bread roll with salsa verde. Deee-lish.

[Boris_A]

In Florence there are still a number of street tripe stalls, one item they sell is "lampredotto", which I think is the abomasal stomach (could be intestine, but it smells like abomasum), but unlike most tripe the mucosal layer hasn't been removed.

I never went that deep into the tripe business, but I have friends living near Florence, so I know about the culture of "Trippai" (tripe stalls) and I heard that tripe aficionados have their preferred kind and part of tripe. For them, "tripe" is about as specific as the expression "steak".

In that respect, tripe should make for an intertesting horizontal and vertical tasting.

Unfortunately, the fixation on lean muscular meat caused already serious difficulties to get such differentiated products at our (Swiss) butchers. Just another area where we have came down from educated gourmands to ignorant "peasants".

You can buy green tripe, but not easily.

I wouldn't recommend buying green tripe despite I've not much "contact fear" with many nowadays unusual ingredients. Washing and pre-cooking "green" tripe is a somewhat malodorous work.

[Adam Balic]

In Florence there are still a number of street tripe stalls, one item they sell is "lampredotto", which I think is the abomasal stomach (could be intestine, but it smells like abomasum), but unlike most tripe the mucosal layer hasn't been removed.

I never went that deep into the tripe business, but I have friends living near Florence, so I know about the culture of "Trippai" (tripe stalls) and I heard that tripe aficionados have their preferred kind and part of tripe. For them, "tripe" is about as specific as the expression "steak".

In that respect, tripe should make for an intertesting horizontal and vertical tasting.

Unfortunately, the fixation on lean muscular meat caused already serious difficulties to get such differentiated products at our (Swiss) butchers. Just another area where we have came down from educated gourmands to ignorant "peasants".

I think that most people would be thinking of honeycomb tripe (from the reticulum = 2nd stomach) when they think of tripe at all, but carpet tripe (from the rumen = 1st stomach) is just as common (obviously) and in some recipes I think that it is better as it often seems to be more gelatinous then honeycomb tripe. This carpet tripe is often the type that gets served cold.

You also get tripe made from the omasum and abomasum (rarely) stomachs.

[albie]

I love tripe, and never have found it too difficult to prepare. Felida, Babbo and Lupa are three places in New York that have outstanding examples on the menu.

My favorite homemade preparation is with beans. Once parboiled for about an hour, with some aromactic vegetables and bay leaves.

I cut it into 2-inch by 1/4 inch strips, add them to a Dutch Oven (mine's a Le Creuset) in which I've sauted a finely minced mirepoix in olive oil almost to the point of caramelization and deglazed with a bit of white wine vinegar, tossed in a small split pig's foot, a 14-ounce can of Italian tomatoes, 5 or six bay leaves, about two cups of pre-soaked cannelini beans and enough liquid (combination of chicken stock and white wine) to cover by a bit less than one inch, and then simmer at moderate-low heat for almost two hours, occasionally stirring and testing for salt and pepper.

Some folks like to add a bit of grated nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and/or a clove or two. Alternately, one might omit the beans and at the very end stir in a cup or two of frozen peas.

[jayt90]

I have cooked tripe many times from Elizabeth David's classic French peasant recipes, similar to many of the ones here with a slow braise in a casserole or Dutch oven.

It is really important to contain all the flavours and smells in the vessel until it reaches the table. The best way is the seal the lid with a circle of pie crust. The steam, when released at table, is phenomenal. A less successful seal can be made with a layer of parchment paper or foil under the lid. Still good!

[bleudauvergne]

I love tripe, and never have found it too difficult to prepare. Felida, Babbo and Lupa are three places in New York that have outstanding examples on the menu.

My favorite homemade preparation is with beans. Once parboiled for about an hour, with some aromactic vegetables and bay leaves.

I cut it into 2-inch by 1/4 inch strips, add them to a Dutch Oven (mine's a Le Creuset) in which I've sauted a finely minced mirepoix in olive oil almost to the point of caramelization and deglazed with a bit of white wine vinegar, tossed in a small split pig's foot, a 14-ounce can of Italian tomatoes, 5 or six bay leaves, about two cups of pre-soaked cannelini beans and enough liquid (combination of chicken stock and white wine) to cover by a bit less than one inch, and then simmer at moderate-low heat for almost two hours, occasionally stirring and testing for salt and pepper.

Some folks like to add a bit of grated nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and/or a clove or two. Alternately, one might omit the beans and at the very end stir in a cup or two of frozen peas.

Albie, This looks like a recipe to try. A few questions.

1) Theres a first simmer, the whole piece, for one hour, after which you slice it. Yes?

2) When you're talking about bay leaves, what kind do you use?

3) Canellini beans are little white beans?

Thank you.

-Lucy

[russ parsons]

i disagree with those who say tripe should be cooked briefly. i really like it cooked for several hours, particularly when you do it in a tomato sauce. you really develop those "third flavor" overtones that way. two good ingredients become a great dish.

[divina]

I will go to the market today here in Florence and get you foto's.

I was a vegetarian when I moved here and now I love tripe!

I think it is all in the precooking and the quality of preparation.

Here we can buy the precooked tripe, all 4 stomachs, as well as uterus ( wonderful) the udder, achilles tendons and cow face!!!

The white tripe is so good that often we eat it in salad, cut into strips dressed with olive oil and lemone juice, new garlic, tomatoes and parsley.

Of course Trippa alla Fiorentina is slowly simmered in tomato sauce and served with parmesan..

If anyone is interested I can write more!

[jackal10]

The New World does an excellent tripe dimsum: precooked tripe, thinly sliced into strips, then steamed with black beans and chili.

Tripe a la mode de Caen is very long cooked with cider (and pigs trotter) in a sealed clay pot.

In the UK tripe with Onions is pre-cooked tripe, either fried with onions, or cooked in a whte sauce (bechamel) with boiled onions.