Spaghetti with Tripe in Tomato Sauce
Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Variety Meats
Season: Fall
Difficulty: Easy but long cooking time

This is one of my favorite recipes and one that rarely gets made.  My children, my friends, and most Americans are not very wild about tripe, but for me its like heaven.  My mom eats tripe too as did her father and that’s about the only time I have it.  This recipe is adapted from the way my grandfather, who was from a small town near Benevento in the Campania region, use to make it.  Personally, I’m wild about these kinds of dishes and it’s delicious with the cheese.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 2 days

1 3/4 pounds beef honeycomb tripe, pre-cooked in boiling water for 12 hours

1 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, cut in half, and thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups white wine

One 12-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon ground red chile

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3/4 pound spaghetti

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1. Rinse the tripe.  Place in a large stock pot with the vinegar and water to cover by several inches and bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil for 3 hours, replenishing the water whenever half of it evaporates.  Drain and cut up the tripe into smaller bite-size pieces or strips.

2. In a flame-proof casserole, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook the onions and garlic until soft, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn, 5 to 6 minutes.  Add the tripe and cook until its water evaporates and it begins to stick to the bottom of the casserole, about 3 minutes, stirring.  Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the casserole.  Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, chile, and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Stir, cover, and simmer 3 hours.  Taste and correct the seasoning, or cook longer if it is too chewy, adding some water.

3. For every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls.  Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until al dente.  Drain without rinsing.  Transfer the pasta to the casserole and toss with the tripe, stir in the basil, and serve with pecorino cheese.

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Posted: 12/22/2006