Trippa alla
Romana
Roman tripe with tomato, mint & pecorino
Tender strips of beef tripe simmer in tomato sauce with aromatic vegetables, then finish with fresh mint and grated Pecorino Romano.
Tomato-braised tripe, cheese & a basil garnishTender tripe,
a Roman tomato braise.
Trippa alla romana is beef tripe cooked in tomato sauce and finished with mint and Pecorino Romano. The tripe becomes tender but keeps a little spring, while the cheese and herbs sharpen the savory sauce. It belongs to Rome’s tradition of cooking offal, often called the quinto quarto.
Tripe is the lining of a cow’s stomach. Butchers sell tripe at different stages of cleaning and cooking, which matters to the home recipe. The preparation below starts with fully cooked, tender tripe and gives it a further simmer in a pancetta and vegetable sauce. Serve it as a meat main, with bread or another side ordered separately.
Explore by food: Meat
Let’s make trippa alla romana.
Four main portions from purchased fully cooked, tender beef tripe. The basil garnish in the photograph differs from this recipe’s mint finish.
Four main portions from 1 kg purchased fully cooked, tender tripe, weighed drained.
What you’ll need
- 1 kgfully cooked, tender beef tripe, drained and cut into 1 cm strips
- 80 gpancetta, finely diced
- 100 gonion, finely chopped
- 80 gcarrot, finely chopped
- 60 gcelery, finely chopped
- 30 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 100 mldry white wine
- 400 gtomato passata
- 200 mlwater, as needed
- 2 tbspchopped fresh mint, divided
- 60 gPecorino Romano, finely grated
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
Confirm with the butcher that the tripe is fully cooked and tender, not only cleaned or briefly blanched. Raw or firm blanched tripe needs additional cooking before this recipe and will take much longer. Ordinary fresh mint is a practical home choice when local mentuccia is unavailable.
How to make it
- 01
Soften the base
Warm oil in a heavy saucepan and cook pancetta over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, adding a splash of the measured water if needed to prevent browning.
- 02
Add the tripe
Stir in the fully cooked tripe for 3 minutes, then add wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Add passata and 100 ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cover partly.
- 03
Simmer in the sauce
Cook for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tripe is tender with a slight spring and the sauce coats it generously. Add the remaining measured water a little at a time if it catches. Stir in 1 tbsp mint for the final 5 minutes.
- 04
Finish and serve
Taste for salt and pepper. Divide among four plates and add Pecorino and the remaining 1 tbsp mint. Serve hot.
While you’re in Lazio…
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