Tripe and Truffles

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 24, 29 January 1938, Page 5 (Supplement)

Tripe and Truffles

WHAT constitutes the secret of a pood Tripes * la Mode de Caen is the proportions employed. A mixture of beef-foot and beef-tripe (lib of the foot for every 31b of the tripe) i* placed together on a bed of carrots cut in circles, large onions, each pricked with a clove, a bouquet composed of thyme, two laurel leaves, some parsley, with ite root — these, covered with water, are cooked together in a hermetically-closed casserole, on a very slow fire, for at least six hours. When cooked, the sauce, which ought to be oily and rather dark, should be reduced. Connoisseurs place tripe, feet and condiments by layers in their brassiere, first the carrots and onions, then the tripe and pieces of the beeffoot, again a layer of carrots and onions, and another layer of the tripe, etc. Lastly, a layer of carrots, onions and the bouquet mentioned above. If this dish is to be served hot, then the plate must be very hot. The Tripe a la Mode de Caen should be accompanied by a good bottle of cider. Dry cider is best, but not too dry. Some celebrated cooks claim that tripe needs eight hours' cooking. They put it to cook on a slow- fire before going to bed at eleven, and do not take it off until the morning. In Perigord they add truffles to the preparation. At Frankfort-on-Maine they cook the tripe almost in the same way, but add myrtle and old spice containing red pepper and cummin. At Marseilles sheep tripe is used, in which they put garlic, tomatoes and white wine, calling it Paquets de Marseille because each morsel, after being stuffed, is tied up like a little package. They uee a special method at Lyons also, and the English, method—serving up tripe with a white milk sauce, sometimes also rolling it in a beaten egg and breadcrumbs and frying it—is much liked.