- 1kg/2lb 4oz rumen tripe, bleached and ready to cook (ask your butcher)
- 4 carrots, peeled
- 3 brown onions, thickly sliced
- 1 leek, thickly sliced
- 1 celery stalk
- bouquet garni
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 6 medium French toast crackers
- 150g/5½oz butter, chopped
- 3 bulbs spring onions, thinly sliced
- fine sea salt
- 6 cornichons, finely chopped
- 1 French shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp capers
- 100g/3½oz mayonnaise
- 1 lemon, juice only
- new potatoes, steamed and dressed with a little butter, salt and pepper
- For the tablier de sapeur, put the tripe into a large saucepan with the carrots, brown onion, leek, celery and the bouquet garni. Cover with water and cook for 3-4 hours, or until the tripe is soft. Drain.
- Discard the stock and vegetables and slice the tripe into long, thin strips. Pat dry with paper towels and cut into six evenly-sized rectangular pieces.
- For the crumb, line a baking tray with baking paper. Whisk the eggs with the sunflower oil in a shallow bowl. Finely chop the crackers in a food processor to a fine crumb and transfer to another shallow bowl. Dip the tripe in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs. Arrange these crumbed tabliers (‘aprons’) on the lined baking tray.
- Heat the butter in a large frying pan set over a medium heat until melted. Add the spring onions and crumbed tripe. Cook the ‘aprons’ for three minutes on each side, or until browned. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
- For the sauce gribiche, mix the cornichons, shallot and capers together with the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Serve the hot tripe with steamed potatoes and the sauce gribiche.