Beef tripe is a food that comes from the lining of one of the four stomachs of cows. This offal (which can also be from other animals, but is usually from ungulates) is eaten all over the world and is an important ingredient in many local cuisines. It is surprisingly versatile and can be added to a wide variety of dishes such as soups, stir-fries and even a traditional pasta. If you are not used to eating offal, the idea of sinking your teeth into a plate of tripe might scare you, but don't worry, with this guide you can prepare a plate of tasty tripe in no time.
Ingrediants
- Beef tripe
- Rock salt
- Waterfall
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Herbs and spices such as parsley, cloves, peppercorns, or bay leaves
- Vegetables such as onions, celery, cilantro, or carrots
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Clean and Prepare the Tripe
Step 1. Check the tripe to make sure it is clean
Since it comes from the cow's stomach, it may contain residues from her last meal, but they don't have to represent yours. Often, at the butcher, there are different types, from the simply "clean" to the "bleached" one, up to the "natural" one. Each variety requires different preparation, so it's important to know what kind of meat you're working with before starting:
-
Natural:
it is the stomach lining of the animal that has not been treated. It usually has a greenish or grayish color. This tripe must be thoroughly emptied and cleaned before being cooked.
-
Clean:
it is tripe that has been cleaned and rinsed to remove stomach contents. Its color is lighter and requires less complex preliminary preparation.
-
Bleached:
in this case it has been cleaned and dipped in a chlorine solution to kill the germs, which gives it a very light color. This is the cleanest variety, but unfortunately, you will have to rinse it several times to get rid of the strong chlorine smell and taste.
Step 2. Clean the tripe if necessary
Based on the type of meat you purchased (see the steps above), the exact cleaning procedure changes. Often the tripe you buy from the butcher is already clean, but if this is not the case or you have preferred to buy an organic and untreated one, you will have to use a couple of products you already have at home:
- Rub the tripe with rock salt to loosen any undigested bits of the cow's meal. Rinse it thoroughly with cold water. If necessary, use a clean toothbrush for hard-to-reach areas. Once this is done, clear the tripe of any partially digested food residue. Continue this process until there is no longer any trace of 'dirt'.
- Soak the tripe for an hour in a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. Completely submerge the offal with water and then add a tablespoon or two of hydrogen peroxide. Turn and squeeze the tripe from time to time. Hydrogen peroxide is a disinfectant and a bleaching agent.
- Discard the solution and carefully rinse the tripe several times with clean water. Squeeze it every time. Cut and discard any ends that look dirty. In the end there should be no unpleasant odors.
- After this wash, scrape the inside of the stomach with a knife to remove the inner membrane. The stomach lining is a complex tissue, some parts are edible, but some are not. The inner membrane is among the latter.
Step 3. Cut the tripe to even out the thickness
Raw tripe varies greatly in size and thickness throughout its length and, given the fact that different thicknesses cook at different times, you must make it as homogeneous as possible for the recipe to be successful. Spread the offal on a flat surface and check it: if you notice particularly thick sections, use a sharp knife to make "butterfly" cuts to thin them.
Step 4. Cut the tripe into strips and pre-cook them
This procedure involves a preventive boiling and then moving on to the actual cooking of the tripe. Use a sharp knife to divide the offal into strips or squares. Take the various pieces and put them in boiling salted water (35 g of salt per liter of water) for 15-30 minutes. After this time, throw out the water and rinse the tripe. After this treatment, the cow's stomach should be much softer and ready to be transformed into a delicious dish.
Be sure to wash your hands after handling raw tripe even if you have cleaned it meticulously
Part 2 of 3: Add Flavor to the Tripe
Step 1. Prepare the broth
Put the tripe in a pot, add the herbs and vegetables to flavor it (e.g. onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, parsley, cloves and peppercorns). Cover with water and salt generously. Bring everything to a boil.
-
This is your time:
unleash your creativity! The final taste of the tripe dish depends on what you will cook in the broth. Make it more interesting with spices and experiment. Try adding peppers, for example, to give it a spicy aroma; a few slices of ginger will enrich it with oriental tones.
- Remember that as long as you add enough ingredients to flavor the broth, there are no precise proportions to respect; feel free to add, modify or remove ingredients according to your personal taste.
Step 2. Simmer for three hours or until the tripe is tender
When the broth is boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer slowly. As the tripe cooks, it gradually softens and absorbs the flavor of the broth. After about 90 minutes, it begins to check the consistency of the offal every 10-15 minutes. You can consider them "ready" when they reach the consistency you want.
Personal taste varies a lot with regards to the softness of the tripe; in some recipes it is recommended to cook it for more than four hours to make it really very soft
Step 3. Store the broth
The savory, aromatic broth is perfect for lending the same tripe flavor to another dish. You can also use it as a side soup to the tripe itself. The two dishes will have a similar flavor and will go perfectly together.
If the tripe is tender but the broth is still not very tasty, you can continue cooking them together or remove the offal and let the liquid simmer on its own. In this way the water evaporates slowly and the flavors are concentrated
Part 3 of 3: Incorporate the Tripe into a Plate
Step 1. Prepare a
It is a hearty stew of Mexican cuisine, rich in spices that often includes pork trotters among its ingredients! Add some Mexican spices to the broth (cilantro, lime, oregano and lots of chili to start) and serve the tripe with bread or tortilla. Your guests will be able to soak them in the delicious and flavoursome broth.
Step 2. Add the tripe to the
Pho is a Vietnamese soup that is becoming increasingly popular in the Western world as well. It comes in endless variations, but tripe is the common ingredient. Add the bean sprouts, ginger, fish sauce, basil, and any ingredients from the pho you like!
Step 3. Try a pasta dish enriched with tripe "ragù"
Also in Europe this offal is a traditional dish and can be used to make a normal pasta delicious. Prepare a large pot of very rich and spicy tomato sauce. Add the tripe you precooked and let it simmer for several hours. Add this sauce to a plate of pasta al dente, they will marry perfectly.
Step 4. Add the tripe to a dish you usually cook
Since this is such a versatile food, once you are confident in cleaning and preparing tripe, you can experiment and add it to your usual recipes. Consider tripe soup (made with leftover broth), stew, and many other "liquid" preparations. You can also bread and fry the tripe strips or sauté them in a pan. Do not limit yourself and do what your imagination suggests!
