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Bowl of busecca milanese with tripe strips, white beans, and savoy cabbage in a thick amber broth, topped with grated parmesan

Busecca Milanese: Slow-Simmered Tripe and Bean Stew

A Milanese stew of honeycomb tripe, cannellini beans, and savoy cabbage, simmered low with a soffritto and a parmesan rind until the broth turns rich on its own.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup / Stew
Cuisine: Italian (Northern Italy)
Calories: 181
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soffritto and Aromatics
  • 3 tbsp Olive oil
  • 100 g Pancetta, diced
  • 1 Yellow onion, diced medium (150 g)
  • 1 Carrot, diced medium (80 g)
  • 2 Celery stalks, diced (80 g)
  • 2 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 5 Fresh sage leaves
  • 1 Bay leaf
The Stew
  • 900 g Honeycomb tripe, parboiled rinsed, cut into 2.5 cm / 1-inch strips
  • 200 g Dried cannellini beans soaked overnight, drained
  • 2 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 400 g Savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1 piece Parmesan rind (about 50 g); optional but recommended
  • 1.5 l Beef or chicken broth / 6 cups
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
To Serve
  • 60 g Grated Parmesan
  • Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • 6 slices Crusty bread

Method
 

  1. The night before, soak the dried cannellini beans in a large bowl of cold water. Drain before cooking.
  2. Rinse the parboiled tripe under cold water and cut into 2.5 cm / 1-inch strips.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a 5-quart / 4.7 L Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the fat renders and the edges crisp.
  4. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the soffritto turns soft and pale gold.
  5. Stir in the garlic, sage, bay leaf, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the tomato paste darkens slightly and smells toasted.
  6. Add the tripe, drained beans, parmesan rind, and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  7. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pot. Simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the tripe is fork-tender and the beans are creamy.
  8. Stir in the shredded cabbage during the last 20 to 25 minutes of cooking, until wilted but still holding its shape.
  9. Remove the bay leaf and parmesan rind. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Ladle into bowls, top with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve with crusty bread.

Notes

  • Buy pre-cleaned, parboiled honeycomb tripe to skip the long initial cooking most raw tripe requires.
  • Don't skip the parmesan rind, it's doing most of the work in the broth.
  • Add cabbage late so it keeps some bite instead of turning to mush.
  • Simmer time varies by tripe thickness, start checking at 90 minutes.