Trippa con Bacon
Region: Italy, Tuscany
Category: Variety Meats
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but long cooking time
I have always been interested in finding some way to introduce tripe to Americans, who are apparently not fond of this particular offal. It?s curious because tripe was once a staple on the American table when America was a much poorer nation in the nineteenth century. This is a phenomenon happening in the Mediterranean too, where younger people, now richer than their grandparents, turn their noses up at what was once common dishes. Although the preparation of tripe in time-consuming in that it needs to be boiled a long time, I usually do that with a large quantity at once and then freeze the cooked tripe for later use. Tripe needs to be cooked at a boil for about twenty hours, although that doesn?t have to be at one stretch, replenishing the water as it boils. This recipe assumes you?ve already done that. To serve this dish, skewer a piece of tripe and a piece of bacon with a frilly toothpick and a napkin to guests. A little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and some salt make it a wonderful and heavenly, I think, introduction to tripe. Besides, bacon makes nearly anything taste good. You can serve this with thin slices of crusty French bread if desired.
Yield: Makes 8 cocktail servings
Preparation Time: 2 days in all
1 pound cooked beef or veal honeycomb tripe, cut into 1 inch squares
1/4 pound thick cut bacon, cut into 1-inch squares
Salt to taste
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste
In a nonstick skillet, cook the bacon and tripe together at the same time over medium heat until the tripe is golden and the bacon slightly crispy, but not brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Place on a plate with a frilly toothpick stuck through a piece of tripe and bacon. Season with salt and cheese and serve.
Posted: 12/11/2007
