Roman Style Tripe

Roman Style Tripe

We have access to a meat processing company so I can stock up on plenty of offal for Kirby.  I purchased one package of Tripe which I thought was expensive at $6.  Tripe is the cow's stomach and considered a delicacy in many countries.  The Paleo Diet, a "back to what our ancestors ate lifestyle diet" which is gaining popularity in the United States, recommends tripe.  Holistic veterinarians highly recommend raw, green tripe for its amazing benefits. I'm not prepared to venture that far so using bleached tripe is my first baby step in that direction.

Being half Italian I decided to adapt the traditional Roman Style Tripe recipe to a dog friendly meal. Even though this is made with human grade ingredients it's another meal I'm not tasting but I can say Kirby loves it since he literally inhales it. I know this can be somewhat hard to stomach but it' a very healthy meal for dogs. 

Prep Time:  30 minutes      Cook Time: 2 hours        Yields: 7 cups

Ingredients

• 2 pounds honeycomb tripe
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes, puréed in a blender
• 1 teaspoon mint, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation Instructions

1. Trim any pieces of solid fat from the tripe and wash the tripe thoroughly under cold running water.

2. In a large pot combine the tripe, vinegar, vanilla and enough water to cover the tripe by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the tripe is very tender, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours, replenishing the water as necessary. From everything I've read the vanilla and vinegar knock out a lot of the smell but let me warn you it still smells pretty bad.

3. Drain the tripe and allow to cool.

4. The most important part is to remove all the fat. Scrape both sides of the tripe with the back of a chef's knife to remove as many flecks of fat as you can. Clean all working surfaces of fat and cut the tripe into strips about 1/2-inch wide and 2 inches long.

5. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the green pepper, garlic and tripe and saute 3 minutes.

6. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. 

This will freeze for several months in airtight containers.