If you're interested in making a tripe dish at home, here's a fresh take and two old-school classics.

"If you've never had tripe before, try this simple recipe. If you already love it, we bet this will become your new favorite way to cook it."

So write Cathy and Tony Mantuano in their tasty new book, "Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match" (Clarkson Potter, $27.50). She's a expert on food-wine pairings; he's chef/partner at four-star Spiaggia in Chicago and is opening a wine bar called Enoteca Spiaggia in Miami's South Beach. This recipe, they write, is based on the Tuscan tradition of elevating humble ingredients into heavenly stews.

For the tripe

• 1 1/2 pounds veal tripe
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 fresh parsley springs
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

For the sauce

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 24-ounce jar or can tomato puree, preferably San Marzano
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigian-Reggiano cheese

For tripe

Put all ingredients for the tripe in a large pot and add enough water to cover by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender, about 3 hours.

Drain the tripe and set aside to cool. Discard the vegetables, herbs and spices. Once completely cooled, pat the tripe dry with paper towels. Cut into thin strips about 2 inches long.

For sauce

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the garlic begins to color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomato puree and tripe. Simmer for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The tripe can be made to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month. Reheat before proceeding. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves.

Preheat the broiler.

Combine the bread crumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Spoon the tripe into a medium baking dish. Top with the bread-crumb mixture. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over the top and place the dish under the broiler until the top is golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course.

-- "Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match" by Cathy and Tony Mantuano (Clarkson Potter, 2008, $27.50)

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• 4 pounds honeycomb tripe
• 4 calves feet
• Water
• 2 large carrots, scraped
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 large leeks, split and washed well
• Bouquet garni (10 peppercorns, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leaf, 1 clove and 2 sprigs of parsley, tied in a cheesecloth bag)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large thin slices of beef fat (obtained from the butcher)
• Thick paste made with flour and water
• 1/2 cup aged Calvados (apple brandy)

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Wash the tripe carefully in several changes of cold water. Drain and slice the tripe into pieces two inches square.

In two separate kettles, cover the tripe with cold water and the calves feet with cold water. Bring each to a boil. Immediately add two cups of cold water to each kettle to stop the cooking. Drain.

Line a large earthenware casserole or tripe pot with the blanched calves feet and cover with the tripe. Add the carrots, onion, celery, leeks and bouquet garni. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with cold water and top with the beef fat. The lid of the casserole or pot should have a small hole to permit escape of steam.

Cover the pot with the lid and prepare a thick paste with flour and water. Seal the cover with the paste. Bring to boiling point on top of stove, then place in the oven. Bake 12 hours.

Break and discard the pastry seal. Uncover and discard the vegetables and bouquet garni. Transfer the tripe to a serving casserole and add the meat from the calves feet, discarding the bones. Skim the fat from the liquid and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the Calvados and strain the liquid through a double thickness of cheese cloth over the tripe.

Serve piping hot with boiled potatoes on the side.

-- "New York Times Cookbook" by Craig Claiborne

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• 1 1/2 pounds honeycomb tripe
• 1 can beef bouillon
• 2 carrots, coarsely shredded
• 1 parsley root, coarsely shredded
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons fat
• 2 tablespoons instant flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
• 3 tablespoons grated cheese
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Soak the tripe in cold water for several hours. Wash very well; rinse in a colander. Cover with boiling water, heat to boiling, drain. Repeat the boiling. After the second draining, add beef bouillon and simmer three to four hours. Prepare the dumplings. (Recipe below).

Cook the vegetables in small amount of water. Drain the tripe, cut very finely in 1 1/2-inch-long strings. Add to the vegetables. Melt the fat, combine with flour, stir until smooth, add to the pot. Add all the spices; add the dumplings. Pour in five separate heatproof serving dishes. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Place in a hot 400-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 5.

Dumplings for the Tripe (Pulpety)

• 1/4 pound beef suet, ground
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper
• Dash of marjoram, paprika, ginger, and nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon chopped green parsley
• 3 to 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon flour

Cream the beef suet with the egg, spices, parsley and bread crumbs. Shape into small balls, roll in flour and cook in boiling water for 30 minutes. The dumplings are done when they rise to the surface.

Serves 5.

-- "The Art of Polish Cooking" by Alina Zeranska