Roman tripe: one of the tastiest traditional dishes!

Let's try a typical dish of Lazio, tripe alla romana, which owes all its flavor to the excellence of the area… and to the love of tradition!

Tripe alla romana is a typical dish of the Lazio tradition – tripe means the stomach of beef . From north to south it is cooked with different ingredients which from time to time give it new aromas and new flavours, just think of Florentine tripe and busecca , the entirely Milanese version of the dish.

Born as a poor man's dish, tripe alla romana has become a dish for holidays . Even today in the trattorias of Trastevere, the famous district of the capital, it is possible to read the sign "Saturday tripe" . What differentiates this recipe from the others of the boot are the ingredients. To give Roman-style tripe its characteristic flavor there are pecorino cheese , but also mint and a gem… 2-3 cloves just like Elena Fabrizi used to prepare it

The recipe we are proposing is in fact that of the famous trattoria in Sora Lella , directly overlooking the Tiber and which has become a real institution over the years: it is impossible to have lunch unless you have booked well in advance.

How to prepare Roman tripe

1. The tripe that you buy is usually already pre-cooked , however we recommend boiling it for 20 minutes and rinsing it before using it to be sure it is clean. After this step , cut it into strips .
2. Prepare a sauté by cutting celery, carrot and onion into cubes. Brown them in the oil together with the crushed garlic clove and chilli pepper.
3. Brown for a few moments, then add the tripe and cook for a few minutes until it has released a little water.
4. Subsequently blend with the white wine and, when you no longer feel the smell of alcohol rising from the steam, add the peeled tomatoes passed through a vegetable mill (alternatively you can also use a bottle of classic pulp.
5. Season with salt and pepper, add the cloves and cook for at least 1 hour.
6. When cooked, remove from the heat, remove the garlic and add the pecorino cheese , stirring quickly, together with the mint.

Tripe, counted among offal , is often underestimated, but once you try this recipe you will have to change your mind. If you love to experiment, I invite you to also try the Florentine tripe !

Tips for preparing Roman tripe with sauce

There are essentially 3 tips we want to give you to prepare this dish at its best (one of these is actually a variant that you absolutely must know).

1. Always ask your trusted butcher for the best piece and especially if it's already pre-cooked . In fact, tripe has usually undergone a first cooking to clean it better but you could also find it not pre-cooked. In the first case, as explained above, boil it for about 20 minutes in boiling water, then rinse it well and use it for the recipe.

   Otherwise if it were raw , we advise you to wash it well under running water, cook it for about 1-2 hours with a clove leaf, half a carrot and half an onion, then remove the water, vegetables and flavourings, wash it a second time and only then to the actual preparation of the dish.

2. Some put the mint halfway through cooking, however we believe it is better to add it only at the end with the heat off, to avoid it releasing a bitter taste typical of overcooked mint.
3. Finally, you should know that there are two variations of the Roman tripe recipe (or rather two schools of thought). There are those who add the pecorino already at the beginning of the cooking in the pot with the sauce and those who, instead, add it at the end. You can follow the version you prefer, but in any case a good sprinkling on the plate will never be missing in both cases.

storage

We recommend keeping the tripe for a maximum of 2 days in the fridge , inside a special container with a lid. If you have used all the fresh ingredients, you can also freeze it in the freezer and then heat it in a saucepan over a very low heat, adding a little hot water as needed .

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