Tripe with tomato and fennel

Tripe has a great texture - it's soft, yet has some bite - and is a terrific sponge for carrying rich, flavoursome sauces, like this tomato-saffron-chilli one, so don't be afraid to try it. This is one of the signature dishes at Osteria Oggi.

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg honeycomb tripe (see Note)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 small fennel, thinly sliced
• 1 small brown onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• ¾ tbsp finely chopped red chilli
• 1 pinch saffron
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatos (or 500 g very ripe tomatoes, chopped)
• 1 litre (4 cups) passata (tomato puree)
• ¼ bunch thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
• ½ small bunch mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 60 g finely grated pecorino

Cooling time: 30 minutes

Instructions

Blanch the tripe in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until a knife pierces it easily. Drain and allow to cool for 30 mins, then chop into finger-sized lengths.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add the tripe and cook until lightly coloured.

Add the fennel and onion and cook until softened and lightly coloured.

Add the fennel seeds, chilli, saffron, passata and chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir through the herbs and cheese just before serving.

Chef's notes

• Tripe needs to be pre-ordered from butchers.

Photography, styling and food preparation by China Squirrel. 

Andrew Davies is the head chef from Osteria Oggi. This recipe is from The Chefs' Line - a brand new series airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Can the passion of a home cook beat the skills of a professional chef? Missed all the action? Catch-up online and get all the recipes #TheChefsLine.

This recipe has been edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the series.

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.