Tripe Stew Recipe

1. Rinse and trim

Rinse the tripe under cold running water. Trim away any thick fat or tough connective tissue and cut into 2–3 cm wide strips. Place trimmed tripe in a large pot.

2. Parboil to clean

Cover the tripe with 2 L cold water, add 1 tsp salt, 2 bay leaves and 1 tbs whole black peppercorns. Bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. This parboil removes impurities. Drain the tripe and discard the cooking water. Rinse the pot and the tripe under cold water.

3. Long simmer

Return the drained tripe to the cleaned pot and cover with fresh water (about 2 L). Add the 2 bay leaves and remaining peppercorns. Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and simmer gently until the tripe is very tender — about 1½ to 2 hours. Check for tenderness at 1 hour: tripe should be soft but slightly chewy, not rubbery. When tender, remove the tripe, reserve 500 ml of the cooking liquid (strained) and discard the rest. Cut the cooked tripe into bite-sized pieces if still in long strips.

4. While the tripe is simmering (or once it’s removed), heat 3 tbs olive oil in a heavy wide pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, diced red bell pepper, carrot and celery and cook another 6 minutes until vegetables soften and begin to brown lightly.

5. Stir in the 2 tbs tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to caramelize slightly. If using wine, add 120 ml white wine now and simmer 2–3 minutes until reduced by half. Add the crushed tomatoes, 500 ml stock, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, additional bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.

6. Add the reserved 500 ml tripe cooking liquid to the pot, taste and adjust liquid so sauce is slightly soupy (add a little water or stock if necessary). Return the cut tripe pieces to the pot. Cover and simmer gently for 40–60 minutes so flavors meld and tripe becomes very tender. Stir occasionally and skim any foam or excess fat from the surface.

7. About 25 minutes before the end of cooking, add the potato cubes to the stew so they cook through but don’t disintegrate (timing depends on potato size). With 10 minutes remaining, stir in the white beans to heat through and absorb flavor.

8. When potatoes are tender and stew has thickened slightly, remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in chopped parsley, optional lemon juice and optional red pepper flakes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve the tripe stew hot, garnished with extra parsley and with crusty bread or steamed rice. Leftovers improve after a day; refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.