This trippa in umido dish is a simple Friuli tripe stew recipe of tripe cooked in a soffritto of onions, carrots and celery, and simmered in wine and stock until tender. All Italian style tripe recipes are good. But this is one of my favourites.
The fact that a lot of people can’t stomach tripe is highly ironic. Tripe is the edible lining of a cow’s stomach. To be more precise, one of the cow’s four stomachs. Nowadays, most western societies have become too spoiled with prime meats to enjoy offal. In fact the British have come to regard tripe as dog food.
All I can say is ‘lucky dogs’! Tripe has been a nutritious by-product of the beef industry for centuries. It is low in fat, high in protein, and cheap. And cooked well, it’s pretty tasty. It does have its own distinct flavour. And you will either love it or hate it. But in many ways, it reminds me of tofu, in that its main feature is its texture. It draws its main flavour from the ingredients that it is cooked with.
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the Italians are the Tripe Masters. Almost every Italian region has at least one local ‘trippa’ dish reflecting its local style and ingredients. An Italian’s eyes will light up if you mention you have tried a regional tripe dish. Unlike a Brit’s look of horror!
And if trippa in umido is good enough for the Italians (and the French, Spanish and Portuguese for that matter), it should be good enough for the rest of us. This Italian tripe recipe is a whole meal in one bowl. But feel free to mop up the juices with some rustic crusty bread.
So pluck up the courage and give it a go!
Buon appetito! 🇮🇹
More tripe recipes from Italy
Every Italian region has its own take on trippa. Here are the others on the site:
- Trippa alla Romana – Rome’s classic tripe in tomato sauce with pecorino.
- Trippa all’Aretina – tripe cooked in a meat ragù with lemon zest. A little-known recipe from Arezzo in Tuscany.
- Trippa alla Ragusana – Sicily’s most unusual tripe dish, flavoured with almonds, pine nuts and cinnamon.
- Trippa e Patate alla Calabrese – spicy tripe and potato stew with Calabrian peperoncino chillies.
- Tripe in Italian cooking – a guide to trippa across the regions.
More Friuli Recipes
- Friuli Wild Boar with Polenta – wild boar slow-cooked in the Friulian style and served with soft polenta.
- Frico – Friuli’s iconic crispy cheese and potato pancake.
- Orzo e Fagioli – barley and bean soup, a warming staple from Friuli’s mountain villages.
Trippa in Umido – Friuli Tripe Stew
Equipment
- Chef Knife
- Chopping Board
- Cast Iron Pan
- Measuring Jug
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 750 grams tripe (cleaned and rinsed)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
- 1 stick celery (finely chopped)
- 125 ml white wine
- 750 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 2 X 400 gram tins borlotti beans
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley (chopped)
- parmesan cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Sauté the onion, carrot and celery in the extra virgin olive oil for 4-5 minutes in a heavy based pan.
- Add the tomato paste and mix well with the vegetables, then add the tripe and cook on a low to medium heat for another 4-5 minutes.
- Add the white wine to the pan and continue to cook until the wine has mostly evaporated, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Add enough chicken stock to cover the tripe, and season with salt and pepper, then simmer gently for 45 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and borlottli beans and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
- Serve with a garnish of flat leaf parsley, parmesan cheese and a few twists of cracked pepper.
Notes
- The soffritto is the foundation – take your time with the onion, carrot and celery. If you rush this, the dish will taste flat.
- When you add the white wine, scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly. All the sticky bits dissolve into the sauce and that is where a lot of the flavour lives.
- The 45-minute simmer is non-negotiable. Tripe needs time to become tender. Top up with a little stock if it looks dry during cooking.
- Add the potatoes and beans only at the end – they need 15-20 minutes, no more. Add them too early and they will turn to mush.
- Most supermarkets sell pre-cleaned tripe. If buying from a butcher, check whether it has been blanched. If not, simmer in plain water for 30-45 minutes before starting.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2 days and improve overnight as the flavours settle.
