Brown the finely chopped herbs very slowly, for about half an hour, together with six teaspoons of oil. Then add the tripe cut in thin strips and let them take on the flavour for about ten minutes.
Add the tomatoes (skinned). Sprinkle salt and pepper and continue to cook for another twenty minutes over a medium flame, uncovered.
Before taking it off the stove, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of parmesan cheese. If necessary, let some of the sauce evaporate while cooking, because the tripe should not be liquidy.
Serve hot with extra parmesan cheese on the side.
The basis of this recipe and the reason for this cooking time (which is not very long - as opposed to what is usually done, even in many restaurants) is that the special Florentine tripe must be served so white and so soft as if it were to be eaten raw!

TRIPPA ALLA FIORENTINA
(FLORENTINE TRIPE)

Ingredients for 4 people
u Tripe 1 kg.
u Ripe or canned, skinned tomatoes 300 gr.
u 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, 1 carrot
u grated parmesan cheese
u extra-virgin olive oil
u salt and pepper

.

BISTECCA ALLA FIORENTINA
(FLORENTINE STEAK)

Ingredients for 2 people
u 2 beef steaks (veal) if possible, "chianina" (approximately 600 grams for one, about two finger widths high), let it sit for a few days (about 5/6 days)
u salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat the steaks very well in a cast iron pan; put them on the "bistecchiera" (special grill for steaks) and leave them to cook on one side (without adding salt and without poking with a fork). When they being to form a crust (about 5 minutes), turn them over with a spatula, sprinkle salt over the part that is already cooked and let it roast for another five minutes on the other side, turn it over again and sprinkle salt over the other side.
In the end, the steak should be cooked very rare, what in Italy is known as "al sangue" (bloody) in the middle and well done on the outside. Before serving, sprinkle with a bit of freshly ground pepper.

 

 

ZUPPA DI FUNGHI
(MUSHROOM SOUP)

Ingredients for 4 people

u 1 red onion
u 2 celery stalks
u 2 carrots
u 500 gr. mushrooms
u 1.5 litres of broth
u 1 teaspoon of flour (wheat flour)
u 200 grams (old) hearty bread (not toast)
u extra-virgin olive oil
u one garlic clove
u salt and pepper
 

Fry the finely-chopped herbs in extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with flour, add the finely chopped mushrooms. Add salt and pepper.
Immediately after these steps, pour the broth into the pan and heat over a low flame. Toast the bread in the oven, smear with garlic on one side. Put it in a large bowl and pour the soup over it to create two layers.

.

SCOTTIGLIA DI MANZO
(BEEF SCOTTIGLIA)

Ingredients for 4 people:
u 800 gr. finely sliced beef
u 500 gr. peeled tomatoes
u 1 onion, 1 glass of red wine, 1 garlic clove, 1 bunch of parsley, a few basil leaves
u 1 litre of broth
u extra-virgin olive oil
u salt and pepper

Chop the garlic, onion, parsley, and basil. Put them in a pot with a few spoonfuls of oil and fry lightly.
Add the meat, let it cook briefly. Pour the wine over it and let it evaporate. Add the tomatoes, after having pureed them. Mix. Add salt and pepper. Let the sauce thicken. Pour the hot broth over the meat and let it simmer and cook. (Cooking time is approximately one and a half hours).

 

  

CACCIUCCO ALLA LIVORNESE
(SPECIAL FISH SOUP FROM LIVORNO)

Ingredients for 6 people
u 500 gr. cuttlefish
u 500 gr. octopus
u 300 gr. fresh smooth dogfish
u 500 gr. mixed fish for soup base (water hens, capons, scorpion fish)
u 500 gr. mixed seafood (date mussels, clams)
u 500 gr. king prawns, prawns, Norway lobsters, buzzers
u white wine
u 1 teaspoon of tomato concentrate
u oil, garlic, sage, hot peppers
u 12 slices of old, toasted hearty bread (not toast), peppered and smeared with garlic

Heat the pot, with extra-virgin olive oil on the bottom, garlic and sage, hot peppers. Sauté. Add octopus and cuttlefish cut in pieces. Pour white wine over the mixture. Add tomato concentrate and let it cook for twenty minutes. Stir often. Bit by bit, add the soup base fish and the cut smooth dogfish.
Cook the fish heads separately in broth with herbs and puree. The pureed broth, rather thick, should be poured into the pot. It adds substance and flavour to the "cacciucco".
Continue to cook over low heat. When the octopus and the cuttlefish are tender, add the crustaceans and seafood in their shells. Cook for another 6-7 minutes until the date mussels and clams open.
Place the toasted and 'garlicked' bread in the bottom of the plate. Ladle the fish and sauce in the pot in even parts. Serve with red wine, best if young.

LEPRE IN SALMI
(WILD HARE IN SALMI)

.

Ingredients for 4 people:
u 1 wild hare (about 1 1/2 kg.)
u 1/2 cup of red wine
u 1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
u 150 gr. of bacon
u 1/2 teaspoon of tomato concentrate
u 1 onion
u 1 celery stalk
u 1 carrot
u 4 laurel leaves
u 1 garlic clove
u hot peppers
u salt
Clean out the wild hare and let it sit for at least 6 days. Then, to eliminate the odour of game, wash it with vinegar and rinse well with cold water.
Once this preliminary work has been done, cut the wild hare into pieces and leave it to marinate with all of the herbs, wine, salt and the hot peppers the evening before cooking.
After 12 hours of marinating, drain the liquid. Save it on the side. Chop the herbs finely and put them in a pot. Add oil and sauté. Add the bacon in bits.
When it is all well done, pour off the marinating broth and let some of the liquid evaporate while cooking.
Then add 1/2 litre of water into which the tomato concentrate has been dissolved and keep it over a low flame for about an hour.
 

Wine tasting in Italy