This post was written by Jennafer Ashley of PaleoHacks. PaleoHacks is a top source for amazing Paleo recipes, fitness tips, and wellness advice to help you live life to the fullest.
Take a walk on the wild side with this adventurous tripe recipe! Paired with rich Italian ingredients and smoky bacon, this dish will satisfy all your savory cravings.
This recipe is a Paleo take on the classic, Trippa alla Romana, an Italian-style tripe. Honeycomb tripe comes from what is known as the reticulum, the second stomach or chamber of cattle. This variety is possibly the most widely used type of tripe in cooking. Tripe easily takes on the flavor of whatever it is simmered in—from Mexican-style seasonings in dishes like Menudo to Italian tomato-based dishes. Once you have prepared tripe and know what to expect, it becomes a much more approachable protein source to cook and experiment with.
Tripe is very tough by nature and must first be prepared correctly in order to be edible. The preparation starts by thoroughly rinsing the tripe and making sure no debris is left in the honeycomb-like pockets. Next, the tripe is boiled for a minimum of 1 hour to begin the tenderizing process. Once tender, it can be sliced and cooked along with the rest of the ingredients for a complete dish. Robust and aromatic ingredients like smoky bacon, along with herbs and a rich tomato sauce, help bring life to a tripe dish. These easily recognizable ingredients also help make a dish containing tripe less intimidating for newbies.
Start by boiling tripe in a large pot covered with water, apple cider vinegar and a bay leaf. This will start the process of tenderizing the meat as well as seasoning it. Tenderizing the tripe can take up to 3 hours, but usually 1 ½ hours does the trick. Once tripe is tender, use tongs to remove it from the liquid and set aside to cool. Slice tripe into 1- to 2-inch cubes, depending on preference. Next, cook pieces of bacon in a large pan and add ghee, garlic and mushrooms. Allow mushrooms to cook and soften for about 6 minutes. Pour in tomato paste and beef stock while stirring to help dissolve the tomato paste. Add tripe and stir to coat, paying special attention to get the sauce into the tripe’s nooks and crannies. Simmer 20 minutes for flavors to meld together and the sauce to reduce. Serve hot garnished with chopped basil.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
For Tripe
1 lb honeycomb tripe
3 cups water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
For Tripe with Bacon Recipe
1 lb cooked tripe
2 strips thick cut bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
2 T tomato paste
1 T grass-fed ghee or butter
1 T freshly chopped basil
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t pink Himalayan sea salt
1/8 t red pepper flakes (optional)
How to Make It
- Begin by placing tripe in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add vinegar and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 1 ½ hours with lid slightly cracked. Drain and remove bay leaf. Set tripe aside to cool.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until just crisp, about 5 minutes. Add ghee, garlic and mushrooms. Cook 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and beef stock. Season with sea salt and pepper flakes.
- Cut tripe into 1- to 2-inch pieces and stir into mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped basil.
Jennafer Ashley is a Recipe Developer and Food Photographer. She is the girl behind the healthy recipes at Fresh and Fit, her recipe development company and blog of the same name. Jannafer loves to cook recipes that suit a variety of diet lifestyles- from Vegan to Paleo. Her philosophy on food is that it should be beautiful, affordable, and of course, delicious. When Jennafer isn’t in the kitchen, you can find her hiking with her German Shepherd or perusing the aisles of home decor stores.
PaleoHacks is a top source for amazing Paleo recipes, fitness tips, and wellness advice to help you live life to the fullest.
