Polpette di trippa (tripe meatballs)

These meatballs make a delicious antipasto and are an easy way to get into using this cheap, nutritious, healthy ingredient.

Polpette di trippa (tripe meatballs) Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

If you buy it from your butcher, you will probably need to cook it (ask, just to be sure). To prepare tripe for this dish, simply place it in a stockpot of water with a whole, peeled onion and boil for 1 hour or until tender. You may need to add more water to keep the tripe sufficiently covered. When cooked, drain the tripe, rinse gently under running water and allow to cool before using in this recipe.

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Ingredients

• 400 g cooked and cooled honeycomb tripe, sliced
• 80 g prosciutto (or pancetta or ham)
• 2 eggs
• 45 g (½ cup) grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
• 265 g dry breadcrumbs
• 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 100 g plain flour
• olive oil, for frying

To serve

• marinated olives
• prosciutto

Instructions

1. Place the tripe and prosciutto in a food processor and blitz until finely minced. Add one of the eggs, the cheese, 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, the nutmeg, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Continue blending until you have a well combined, paste-like mixture.
2. Lightly beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Place the flour and remaining breadcrumbs in 2 more separate bowls. Roll the tripe mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut, then dip each ball first into the flour, rolling to coat evenly, then in the beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumbs.
3. Pour enough olive oil in a medium saucepan so that the balls will float. Heat to about 180°C or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds. At this point, turn the heat down a fraction and fry the balls in batches for about 1½ minutes or until evenly deep golden brown and crisp. Carefully remove the tripe balls from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season with salt.
4. Serve hot as part of an antipasto, with marinated olives and thinly sliced prosciutto.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

If you buy it from your butcher, you will probably need to cook it (ask, just to be sure). To prepare tripe for this dish, simply place it in a stockpot of water with a whole, peeled onion and boil for 1 hour or until tender. You may need to add more water to keep the tripe sufficiently covered. When cooked, drain the tripe, rinse gently under running water and allow to cool before using in this recipe.

Stream free On Demand

Florentine

Watch The Full Episode Here

G

Watch The Full Episode Here

G