L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 36 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2018 comb look of the reticulum and the omasum tripe is often more tender and delicate when cooked. I often choose tripe when going out to eat if I want to avoid carbs from pasta. Tripe is a very healthy and low fat option, although just as satisfying as a bowl of pasta in my opinion. Trippa alla Romana is charac- terized by Pecorino Romano cheese and mentuccia. In Rome, nepitella is known as mentuccia. Although the fragrance is said to be a cross between mint and oregano, some chefs have like- ned it to a mix of mint and basil instead. Others still say it is a mint with oregano and thyme overtones. If you can't find nepitella, you can use mint although be aware that mint is stronger than nepitella. Trippa alla Romana *While it is common to buy tripe already cleaned and blanched, if it hasn't been through this pro- cess it will be necessary for you to pre-boil the tripe for about an hour. You will need to add it to a large saucepan with enough water to cover the tripe with 125ml vi- negar. Just bring it to the boil and then allow to simmer for an hour. PLEASE NOTE, though, that this recipe refers to tripe that has been bought after it has already been cleaned and blanched. Ingredients: ■ 900g Tripe ■ 2 lemons, cut in quarters ■ 50ml extra virgin olive oil ■ 1 red onion, thinly sliced ■ 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chop- ped ■ 2 cans good quality polpa di pomodoro (I used MUTTI) ■ 1 carrot, peeled and cut in half ■ Salt, to taste ■ Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste ■ 125ml white wine ■ 100g Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated + extra for serving ■ About 20 nepitella (mentuc- cia) leaves, finely chopped DIRECTIONS 1. Put tripe in a large saucepan and cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain tripe using a colander, and run under cold water until tripe is cool. Place tripe in a bowl with cold water and lemons for 30 mi- nutes. 2. Chop red onion and garlic and add to a saucepan with olive oil and allow to cook on a low heat, until onion is translucent. Add white wine and allow to re- duce a little. 3. Add cans of tomato pulp, carrot, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook, covered for 30 mi- nutes. Remove carrot. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. (re- member not to add too much salt Trippa alla Romana is rich and flavorsome, but also essential when it comes to its main ingredients © Toni Brancatisano because the Pecorino Romano is very salty). 4. Remove tripe from water and slice into bite-sized strips. 5. Add tripe to tomatoes and leave to cook on simmer for 2 hours.  After one hour, add half the mint leaves and stir well. 6. In a small bowl mix the re- maining mint with the grated Pe- corino Romano cheese. 7. Once tripe is cooked, turn off heat, and stir through Pecorino Romano cheese and mint until well combined. 8. Serve tripe with a sprinkling of Pecorino, freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with some ex- tra nepitella or a little mint leaf. (Serves 6). Continua da pagina 34 Tripes, tomato, onions, pepper, pecorino and not much more make the most of this recipe © Salmassara | Dream- stime.com

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