If you like to taste different and unusual food then this Flaczki (tripe soup) recipe is sure to intice you. Flaczki are not everybodies favourite cup of tea, out of my kids only one likes to eat them. I personally love them. When ever I make this recipe I recall my childhood memories. My grandparents lived in the country on a farm about 50km from us. On the way to visit my grandparents every couple of weeks or so, my parents would stop at a pub along the way where they made the best tasting Flaczki (tripe soup). I would have been only about 6 years old when I was first introduced to this soup and from the first time I tasted it I have not stopped loving it. If you would like to taste this soup first then maybe you shouldn’t read any further because, I have to tell you what, if you don’t already know, tripe is. Tripe is actually a cows stomach that has been very nicely cleaned. I told you not to read on. But to be honest if you really enjoy something you simply don’t think about what or where it came from, as long as it tastes good.

As with a lot of the Polish recipes, the cooking process is quite long. But most food is easily frozen and reheats very well. In fact I think that it actually tastes better after then when it is first cooked. But you might enjoy it so much that there will be none left to freeze anyway. To freeze simply wait till completely cooled and then pack into plastic containers small or large enough for you to simply only defrost what you require.

Ingredients

2 1/2kg (approx.) tripe See Note

2 carrots

1/2 leek

1/2 parsnip

1/2 large onion

5-6 bay leaves

1 Tbsp of pimento

3 Tbsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp marjoram (dried)

2 beef stock cubes

2 Tbsp mild sweet paprika powder

Method

Cut tripe into small long pieces, wash and boil for about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse well.Peel carrots and parsnip, wash and cut leek  into small pieces. Peel onion and cut into quarters. (Optional: you don’t need to do this but I think it gives the Flaczki an extra taste – burn the onion under the grill or if you have a gas stove on the gas, until it starts to blister slightly)

Prepare a large pan with about 4-5 litres of cold water. I like my Flaczki quite thick, but if you prefer yours more watery then just add more water as needed. Put all  the ingredients into the pot, bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the tripe is soft enough to your liking.

Note: In Australia we are very lucky that the tripe is available at the supermarkets. It is very clean and already slightly pre-cooked. If however you can only get raw tripe then in Step 1 you need to cook the raw tripe for about 4 hours before continuing. The tripe that you purchase must be white and clean. Sometimes you find little yellow or brown patches on it, simply cut them out and discard.