Tripe

Ingredients:

Hmmm. Well - Tripe Nancy is one of the dishes my mother cooked when I was a young un, which I was never quite able to develop a palette for. In fact, I refused to eat it - especially once she told me that it was the stomach lining of a cow.

My mother was born during the Depression years - when food was scarce, especially meat. As a result, many recipes were created or re-created to make good use of every possible piece of the beast.

It didn't seem to matter to Mum that it was the 1970's - times were good - and we didn't need to eat the stomach lining of a beast in order to survive. My mother is in her late 70's now - and she still prepares Tripe - but not when I'm visiting.

Many of you may really enjoy this dish, so the following is the recipe. The secret with Tripe is to cook it really slowly - otherwise, it will be as tough as old boots.

1kg tripe

1 teaspoon salt

4 cloves

2 carrots

1/2 cup brandy

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 leeks

2 1/2 cups white wine

4 onions

2 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

Method:

Wash tripe under running water.

Boil a pot of water, and once boiling - add the tripe just long enough to blanch it (1 minute) - and then retrieve.

Cut into small pieces.

Season and add herbs and onions, and place in a casserole dish.

Add sliced leeks and caroots, wine and brandy.

Cover and cook gently for 6 hours in a slow oven (150°C).

Remove herbs and skim the surface before serving. Back to Beef from Tripe Nancy