Fresh Veal Tongue Recipes

BOILED TONGUE

Steps:

• Place the tongue in a soup pot with the salt, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until the outer skin begins to peel off, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Peel off the thick outer skin, and serve.

BRAISED TONGUE

Steps:

• Pour the neutral oil into a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven set over medium heat. Sweat onion 5 minutes, stirring constantly so no color develops.
• Add the celery and carrot and 3 tablespoons of water. Cover with a tightfitting lid, and let the vegetables steam for a few minutes, being careful not to scorch. Add more water if necessary.
• Arrange the tongue in the pot, and add the parsley stems, bay leaves, peppercorns, red-wine vinegar and salt. Pour in enough water to just barely cover the tongue. Cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
• Once the tongue braise has come to a boil, remove the lid, and reduce to a simmer. Cut a round of parchment the diameter of the pot and set it directly on top of the braising liquid. Simmer the tongue 4 hours, adding more water if needed to keep the tongue just covered. The tongue tends to suck up a lot of water quite quickly.
• Remove the tongue from the braising liquid. Strain the braising liquid (discard the solids), and return liquid to the pot. Peel the thick outer skin off the tongue while it is still warm. Trim off any fat or gristle, then return the tongue to the braising liquid and let cool completely.
• To serve, cut the tongue crosswise into thin slices, and arrange on a platter in a single layer. Drizzle with a few drops of the braising liquid. Spoon the gribiche over the tongue, and top with some fresh-picked parsley leaves and a generous glug of olive oil.

FRESH VEAL TONGUE

Steps:

• After scrubbing and soaking the veal, put it in a heavy pot large enough to accommodate it, and cover it with cold water. Toss in the onion and seasonings, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook at a lively simmer for 45 minutes. Let the tongue cool in the liquid until you can handle it, and peel off the tough outer skin all around. Pour off the broth through a strainer and save it. Now for the final braising with this vegetable accompaniment.
• Melt the butter in the pot in which you are cooking the tongue, and sauté the vegetables for a minute or so. Add the Madeira, let it cook down a little, and lay the tongue on top. Pour about 3/4 cup of the tongue cooking liquid around it, cover with foil and then with the pot's cover, and set it all in a preheated 325° oven for 1 hour, checking once to see that there is sufficient liquid, and adding more tongue broth if necessary. The veggies should be moist but not swimming in liquid. When it's done, cut yourself three or four diagonal slices, and spread them on a warm plate surrounded by the vegetables.
• Try a tongue sandwich with lettuce, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard, with a couple of cornichons alongside.
• Warm slightly any remaining slices of tongue, and serve in a warm Sauce Gribiche (page 160).

MOM'S JEWISH BRAISED FRESH BEEF TONGUE

Steps:

• Boil the tongue for 2- 2 1/2 hours in a large covered pot. It should be fork tender.
• Remove with a cooking fork and put it on a large platter.
• Remove the skin with a knife. You might have to let it cool awhile before you can do this.
• On the platter, season the tongue with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and alot of paprika.
• In the same large pot that you've cleaned of all the debris from boiling the tongue, Saute the chopped onion, that you have seasoned with some of the same seasonings, until translucent.
• Put the seasoned tongue on a rack inside the same large pot and add only 1/2" of water to pot.
• Add carrots and potatoes and roast, covered, about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Remove pot from oven and make sure there is enough liquid for gravy. If not, add some more water.
• Put back in 350 degree oven for another 30 minutes to brown and thoroughlly cook carrots and potatoes.
• Let stand for 15 min after cooking; then slice and serve all together, putting the gravy in a gravy boat.

POACHED VEAL TONGUE WITH POTATO, PARSNIP, AND SCALLION MASH

Steps:

• To brine the tongue, mix the salt with the water in a large bowl and submerge the tongue in it. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
• Bring the ingredients for the poaching liquid to a boil in a pot large enough to accommodate the tongue later, and let boil vigorously for 20 minutes.
• Remove the tongue from the brine, and lower it into the boiling broth. Cook, partially covered, at a lively simmer for 1 1/4 hours, then turn off the heat and leave the tongue submerged in the hot liquid for at least 1/2 hour. While the tongue is resting, get the potatoes and parsnips going (recipe follows).
• Fish the tongue out of the broth, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, remove the peel (the warmer the tongue, the easier that will be). Following the photographs, start at the butt end to remove the peel; once you have gotten started, it should come off quite easily in big pieces. Trim away any gristle and fat at the butt end, and when ready to serve, cut into slices.
• Serve the tongue warm with the potato, parsnip, and scallion mash and at least one of the recommended condiments. The grated horseradish should be sprinkled on while the tongue is still warm, to infuse the slices with its sharp flavor. Leftover tongue is delicious cold, with the suggested sauces or others in this chapter. It makes a great sandwich with some mustard.
• Peel the baking potatoes, cut them in half, and submerge them in a pan of cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook 20 minutes, then add the parsnips and cook another 20 minutes, until both are tender. If the parsnips are getting too soft, fish them out of the pot with a wire sieve. When both the potatoes and parsnips are done, put them through a ricer, or strain and mash them in a bowl, with the butter and salt. Fold in the scallions. If the mash has to wait a little while before being served, put the bowl in a skillet with a small amount of boiling water, and simmer to keep warm.

TONGUE WITH MUSTARD-HORSERADISH SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook tongue:
• Rinse tongue well with cold water and place in a deep 6- to 8-quart pot. Add cold water to cover by 3 inches, then add remaining tongue ingredients. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until tongue is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer tongue to a cutting board (reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid) and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin and trim any fat or gristle. Skim off fat from cooking liquid and pour liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Keep tongue warm, covered.
• Make sauce:
• Cook shallot in butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid and cream, then bring to a boil, whisking.
• Simmer sauce, whisking, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, horseradish, herbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice tongue and serve with sauce.