A few years ago, I was lucky to dine in locals’ café in Rome, away from tourist’s streets. That was a place where people stopped by for dinner after work. Only once I tried that Roman Tripe, and finally, I am able to reproduce (almost) that divine taste, texture and flavours.

Although I understand it is a weird cut of beef, I hope you will be brave to try it out. Tripe is very gelatinous and have this unique texture of very soft but chewy when cooked well. It also contains impressive amount of vitamins and minerals.

Tripe has just over 12% protein only, however it is a complete source of protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids your body needs to function. And, my favourite part is about a very high content of selenium, which is essential for selenoproteins. They help to make DNA and protect against cell damage and infections; these proteins are also involved in reproduction and the metabolism of thyroid hormones.

Roman Tripe

Serves 4. Cooking time 3 hours. Your time 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 whole (beef) tripe

1 large red capsicum, thinly sliced

2 ripe tomatoes

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 

Salt and pepper, as desired

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash the trip, place it in the pot and cover with water. Put on stove to boil for 10 minutes.
2. Discard the water and use filtered water just enough to cover the tripe. Lightly season and put it back on stove to cook on low heat until the tripe is very soft.
3. Take the tripe out to cool down and reserve the water in the pot. Finely slice the whole tripe into short thin strips and put them back into the pot. Reduce the excess water so it just covers the tripe. Return the pot to the stove and boil for a few more minutes and do not open the lid. This pot can be stored in the fridge for a week if needed.
4. Cover tomatoes with boiling water for a few minutes. Then peel them, remove the seeds, and dice. In the deep pan cook garlic, peppers and tomatoes with seasoning and spices in a little oil on low heat until the capsicum is soft.
5. Blend the sauce until smooth. Combine this sauce and tripe and cook on the very low heat for 20 minutes.

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