Tripe (Yes Tripe) So Good!

If you ever want to see funny expressions come from your friends and family, mention to them you are making Tripe. So many people have a negative response, and for some rightfully so. Let's clear up one thing, the origins of Tripe usually bother people. It is of course a cow's stomach. But ask yourself, anything from a cow is pretty much the eating of an animal corpse. Right? The hamburger itself is pretty much a ground-up cow and fillers depending on what you buy at the supermarket.

The secret to Tripe is the cleaning process. You can buy Tripe cleaned by the butcher, but trust me, you have to boil it for many reasons. I boil each round around 10-minute increments 3 - 6 times. Each time, I give the Tripe a cold water bath, then reboil. There are 2 reasons for doing this. The first obviously is the cleanliness. The second is I am trying to increase the tenderness of the Tripe. This allows for the Tripe to be cut into small pieces and cook in the sauce. The way I make my tripe, it resembles pinwheel pasta and has the consistency of pasta. 

Your sauce should be either thick for Tripe on its own, or soupy if you make Tripe with other items to compliment the dish. For example, in this recipe, I will add onions, garlic, and potatoes. Despite what people might tell you, I love vegetables as an add-on including celery and carrots at times. The other secret is the sauce. You can use the sauce recipe on the blog on the sauce recipe I include for this recipe.

Ingredients

Sauce

1 32 oz can of Organic Tomato Sauce

1 32 oz can of diced tomatoes

1-3 oz of butter

1 tsp of cinnamon 

3-5 cloves of garlic

Italian seasonings (Parsley and Basil)

Salt and Pepper (Cracked) to taste

Garlic and Onion Powder - 1 tsp each

Cherry Pepper Flakes - 1 tsp

Cherry (Hot) or Long Hot peppers (One long hot or a few Cherry Pepper Slices. You can also do both) 

Sweet Pepper - 1 -5 slices 

1 White Onion (Diced and Sauteed or right in the sauce) 

Directions - I make the sauce in a Crockpot. I add everything at once. Let the sauce cook for about an hour and a half - 2 hours on low. Stir the sauce periodically and season to your personal taste. 

Once the Tripe is prepared via the boiling process (as described above) You will cut the tripe vertically into smaller pieces. You want the shapes to be the size of a larger pasta like a pinwheel or bowtie. (Try not to cut too small.) Once cut, add the Tripe to your sauce. Leave at least 1 - 1.5hrs for the Tripe to simmer in the sauce. Similar to Pasta, you want to check for tenderness prior to finishing. 

Potatoes - Dice your potatoes into cubes. Only use 1 -3 small potatoes. You don't want to overwhelm your sauce. The diced potatoes, as with all vegetables is a compliment to your dish. What makes the potato unique is you have to pre-boil them for about 6 mins. You want them to be firm, not squishy. The reason for the pre-boil is to get the starch out of the potato. I set them aside and put them in at about 5-10 mins prior the Tripe being finished.

As with all recipes on Cooking it Up with Dad, try different variations. Involve the kids. A cow's
stomach when they are younger is like a science experiment. They might complain in the beginning, however by the end of your recipe they will think it is pretty cool. 

Sausage Bread

Sausage bread is a tradition in many Italian-American families. This recipe can have many variations. I will share two, however, as with all recipes, you can add and delete ingredients as you see fit. Your kids will love making bread with you. 

Ingredients 

Dough - (Our Recipe or Bakery)

Olive Oil 

Garlic 

Garlic Powder

Broccoli Cuts (Frozen) 

Sweet Sausage 1lb (Hot or any variation you enjoy)

Four Cheese Italian Blend

Parmesan Slice

Grated Romano 

Salt

Pepper

White Onion (Diced)

Sausage Links (Sweet Italian) or Prepared Sweet Italian Ground Sausage

1-2 eggs

First Step - Double risen dough

Layout your baking sheets. In the center of the sheet, roll out about 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil in the center of the sheet. Place a dough ball on top of the olive oil. Spread the dough so that it overlaps the baking sheet. Set aside and allow the dough to rise again as you prepare the rest of the recipe.

In a skillet, prepare the sausage. I prefer Italian Sweet Sausage in the link. The flavors have been infused in the link, and I think you get a better result with links, You can buy prepared ground sausage as an alternative. Coat the skillet with olive oil and thinly sliced garlic. Saute the sausage until lightly browned. Do not over cook the sausage. Be sure to finely chop the sausage into crumbles.  

You will coat the bottom of the dough with a thin layer of Parmesan and Four Cheese Blend. The thin layer will combine with the dough to make a firm base. This firmness allows for cuts to stay a bit firm.

In the skillet, (leave sausage oils) cook up the broccoli cuts so that it is tender. (You can use a steamer bag and do a quick infusion of the sausage flavors as an alternative) Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs into a scramble. 

Layering your bread - You will layer the sausage crumbles on top of the cheese. Add a thin layer of grated cheese. Next, infuse half of your egg mixture lightly on the crumbles and cheese. Next, add a layer of broccoli and sausage crumbles. Lightly add an additional layer of the Cheese Blend. Add what is left of your egg mixture, diced onion, and garlic powder. You also can add salt and pepper to your own preferred taste. 

You will fold the dough into 2 layers. One side on top of the other. You will add a thin layer of olive oil on top of the dough with seasoning. (You can also add a thin layer of grated cheese if you would like) 

Some people overlap the layers throughout the bread. I prefer the layers on top of the bread. The thickness allows for the seasoning to immerse itself on the top to compliment the inside of the bread.

As with all recipes on this blog, experiment with your kids a bit. Use different seasonings, meats, and cheese combinations. This recipe also serves as
a base recipe for calzones and pepperoni bread which we will add to our blog in future posts. 

Gnocchis - Ricotta Cheese Recipe

Gnocchis are a lot of work, and if you are a dad wanting to spend time with your kids, this is a great activity. You will need a gnocchi board, or you can use a fork. Truly simple.

Ingredients

6 cups flour
2 eggs.
Garlic Powder 1-2 tsp
Salt 1-2 tsp
16ox Ricotta Cheese

 

Equipment - Gnocchi Boards


In a large mixing bowl, add the 6 cups of flour. Swirl once or twice around the bowl the garlic powder and salt. Mix both into the flour. Add 2 eggs and hand mix the eggs. Next, add the Ricotta cheese and you will start to form a consistency for pasta dough. During this process, you want to monitor the moisture of the dough. Spread a thin layer of flour as needed on the surface you are

kneading the dough. You want the dough to form a firm ball. Once firm, continue with the next step.

Using a knife, slice a 1/2 inch (similar to a slice of bread. Roll the dough into a long snake (like when you were a kid playing with playdough) Center your hands on the Gnocchi Board. Roll your dough one complete cycle. Your ridges will generally connect once a full circle is achieved. 

You want to place the gnocchis on a cookie sheet. Wax paper is generally recommended as a foundation. You want to freeze the trays once full for firmness so you can place the gnocchis in one-quart freezer bags. Gnoccis generally freeze well for 6 months when you use a high-quality freezer bag. Squeeze the air out or use a vacuum sealer. 

It takes a long time to accumulate a pound on Gnoccis. That's why this is a great father/child activity. You will have a few hours to chat and enjoy the activity.