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A rustic bowl of trippa alla Valtellinese al Pomodoro with tripe and borlotti beans in tomato sauce, melted cheese on top

Trippa alla Valtellinese: Alpine Tomato Tripe Stew

A slow-braised beef tripe stew from Valtellina, simmered in tomato with pancetta, potatoes, borlotti beans and grated Casera cheese.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Soup / Stew
Cuisine: Italian (Northern Italy)
Calories: 690
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the stew
  • 800 g beef tripe, pre-cooked/parboiled, cut into 1 cm strips
  • 1 onion, finely chopped medium (100 g)
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped (80 g)
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (50 g)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 80 g pancetta, diced
  • 30 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 120 ml dry red wine
  • 400 g tomato passata
  • 500 ml beef or vegetable broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 300 g potatoes, peeled and diced 2 cm
  • 400 g cooked borlotti beans, canned and drained
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
To finish
  • 80 g Valtellina Casera cheese, grated (or Fontina)
  • crusty bread to serve

Method
 

  1. Pat the tripe strips dry with paper towels. If yours isn't pre-parboiled, blanch it in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse well before continuing.
  2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a 6-quart / 5.7 L Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until softened and pale gold.
  3. Stir in the garlic and pancetta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pancetta releases its fat and turns lightly golden.
  4. Add the tripe strips and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, to coat them in the fat and let the edges color slightly.
  5. Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, until mostly evaporated and the raw alcohol smell is gone.
  6. Add the tomato passata, broth, bay leaves and cloves. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tripe is tender enough to cut with a spoon.
  7. Add the diced potatoes and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until fork-tender but still holding their shape.
  8. Stir in the borlotti beans and a pinch of nutmeg. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more to warm the beans through and thicken the sauce slightly.
  9. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and cloves before serving.
  10. Ladle into bowls, grate the Casera cheese generously over each portion, and serve hot with crusty bread on the side.

Notes

  • Use parboiled tripe from the butcher to save an hour of prep.
  • Don't skip the wine reduction, it cuts the richness of the pancetta.
  • Grate cheese straight over each bowl, not into the pot, for texture.
  • Salt lightly at first since pancetta and cheese both add sodium later.