Trippa e fagioli

Sounds better in Italian, don't it?

It's tripe and beans.

You may commence to getting the hell out of here while the getting is still good. Nice chattin' with you.

Okay, to the three of you who are still with me, here is what went down. It was a rainy day and I was about to cook up a nice pot of bean soup, with the cannellini beans from my garden last summer (I froze a bunch while they were fresh out of the pods). Then I found myself on the phone, talking about how you see more tripe on restaurant menus these days (it's true, don't you think?), and, well, you know.

If you are of a mind to try this recipe, let me say two things. First, there was no recipe, I just played around and this is how things turned out. Second, things turned out really, really well. 

I'm glad I wrote everything down. Even if only the four of us care.

Tripe and beans

Recipe

4 lbs. beef tripe

1/4 lb. bacon (or pancetta), diced

1 lb. sausage meat

2 large carrots, diced

2 large celery stalks, diced

1 large onion, chopped

4 clove garlic, crushed but left whole

1 hot pepper or pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine

4 cups cannellini beans

12 cups chicken stock

Rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the tripe well then cover in water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook for about an hour, then drain and allow the tripe to cool enough to handle. Once it's cooled, cut into 1-inch pieces.

In a pot large enough to accommodate all the ingredients, brown the bacon, then add the sausage meat and brown it too.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and pepper and saute for around 10 minutes, then add the vermouth and cook until the alcohol evaporates.

Add the tripe, beans, stock, cheese rind (I used two thick hunks), salt and pepper and cook for an hour or so.