Lampredotto

Ingredients

Tripe

• 1.2 kglampredotto, the abomasum, cleaned

Broth

• 2onions
• 2carrots
• 3celery stalks with leaves
• 3tomatoes
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbsppeppercorns
• 1 bunchparsley stalks
• salt
• 3 litreswater

Salsa verde

• 1large bunch flat parsley
• 2 tbspcapers
• 4anchovy fillets
• 1 clovegarlic
• 1 slicebread soaked in vinegar
• 150 mlolive oil

Salsa piccante

• 4dried red chillies
• olive oil
• 1 clovegarlic

To serve

• 6semelle or crusty rolls

Directions

1. Lampredotto is specifically the abomasum, the fourth stomach, and it is not interchangeable with the honeycomb tripe sold as trippa.
2. It is darker, softer and richer than other tripe, and the whole Florentine dish is built around that particular cut. A tripaio will sell you the right thing.
3. Rinse it thoroughly and check it has been properly cleaned; buy it ready-cleaned if you possibly can.
4. Put it in a large pot with the onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, bay, peppercorns and parsley stalks, and cover with cold water.
5. Bring it to a bare simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours, skimming for the first twenty minutes.
6. Never let it boil hard. A rolling boil turns tripe rubbery and cloudy, and the broth it cooks in is used to dress the finished sandwich.
7. Salt it only in the last half hour, once it has begun to soften.
8. It is ready when a knife slides through with no resistance and it is soft enough to cut with the side of a fork.
9. Make the salsa verde by chopping the parsley, capers, anchovy and garlic very finely, then working in the vinegar-soaked bread and the olive oil.
10. Chop it by hand rather than blending. A blender makes a smooth green paste, and salsa verde should be coarse and separate.
11. For the salsa piccante, warm the chillies and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and let it infuse.
12. Lift the lampredotto out of the broth and slice it finely on a board, keeping the broth at a simmer.
13. Slice it thin. Thick pieces are chewy in a way the dish is not meant to be, and the tripaio’s rapid fine chopping is part of the performance.
14. Split a roll and, holding the top half in tongs, dip it briefly into the hot broth.
15. Dipping the lid in the broth, the bagnato, is the defining step. It softens the crust and soaks the bread with everything the tripe cooked in.
16. Pile the sliced lampredotto into the roll, season with salt and pepper, and spoon salsa verde and salsa piccante over.
17. Press the dipped lid on and eat it immediately, standing up, leaning forward.
18. It is sold from the trippai carts of Florence, at San Lorenzo and around the city, and it is a working lunch rather than a restaurant dish.

Technique

• The bagnato dip is what people order by name, and skipping it makes a much drier sandwich.
• Trippa alla fiorentina is the same offal tradition served as a tomato stew rather than in bread.
• It is eaten at any hour from mid-morning onward and the carts sell out by early afternoon.

Substitutions

• Honeycomb tripe, which is more widely sold and takes the same treatment.
• Any sturdy crusty roll in place of a semelle.

Variations

• Trippa alla fiorentina, stewed with tomato and parmesan.
• With only salsa verde and no chilli.
• Served on a plate with broth rather than in bread.

History

Sold from Florence’s trippai carts since the fifteenth century; the fourth stomach is named for its resemblance to the lamprey.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lampredotto?

Lampredotto is a street food from Italy: florentine tripe simmered and served in a bun with salsa verde. Sold from Florence’s trippai carts since the fifteenth century; the fourth stomach is named for its resemblance to the lamprey.

How long does Lampredotto take to make?

Lampredotto takes 20 min of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Lampredotto?

Yes, within limits. Honeycomb tripe, which is more widely sold and takes the same treatment. Any sturdy crusty roll in place of a semelle.

What is the most important thing to get right in Lampredotto?

It is darker, softer and richer than other tripe, and the whole Florentine dish is built around that particular cut. A tripaio will sell you the right thing.