INGREDIENTS
– Tripe roulades
– Onion
– Tomatoes
– Water
– Salt
PREPARATION
“First of all select a top quality thick and fat tripe of heifer or castrated veal or young sheep. You need to remove the spongy membrane that covers it. In order to do it, dip the tripe in boiling water for a few seconds and immediately scrape it with a big knife so that the brown covering will go away. Rinse several times the so-called “centopelli” and large intestines called “capezzali”.
Unroll the latter and rinse them in cold water, after unrolling them again, rinse them in warm water, repeat the process several times in order to remove any smell and, at last, let them rest in cold water.
Repeat the same process with the thin bowels that you will use to tie the roulades (grumeredde). Cut the tripe into 7 cm-big squares or rectangles, divide centopelli from capezzali and cut them into 7 cm-long pieces. Put a piece of capezzale, one of centopelle and a bit of parsley inside each piece of tripe, roll it tightly and tie or, better, make a slipknot and sever. The selection of the elements making the filling is a secret of the recipe: the large intestines must be turned over, otherwise its fat will dissolve in the broth while boiling, giving it a bad flavour.
The second secret is how to place the roulades in the terracotta saucepan and how to cook them. A lot of minced white onion is required and half the quantity of tomato pulp.
Put a handful of minced onion and a bit of tomato pulp on the bottom of the saucepan, cover it with a layer of roulades and with a further layer of onions, tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Make several layers until the saucepan is full. Pour a bit if water –only 100 grams.
Cover the saucepan with a small pot full of water; in this way the saucepan steam condenses and its drops fall inside so that the food doesn’t get dry. Simmer for a couple of hours at least, or longer, to make them soft. They have an appetizing smell and flavour”.
DIFFICULTY (low, medium, high)
High
DID YOU KNOW
The deliciousness of these roulades lays in their preparation and way of cooking. The recipe was taken from the manuscript of priest Giuseppe Lorussi, who lived between the XIX and the XX century.
This dish is highly appreciated in the summer and less in winter. There is a reason for this. In winter, in fact, the fat becomes cold while you eat it, besides, the broth is less delicious as it gets cold.
WINE TO MATCH
Castillo – Valle D’Itria Igp Fiano 2016
LE ROTAIE – Susumaniello rosato Valle d’Itria IGP 2016