Beef Or Veal Tongue With Almond Sauce Food

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.

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.

BEEF OR VEAL TONGUE WITH ALMOND SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. In a large saucepan, place the tongue, onions, carrot, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour for veal and 2 hours for beef. Remove from the heat and let the tongue sit in the cooking liquid until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the almonds, stirring, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn. Transfer the nuts to a blender. In the same skillet, cook the onion, stirring, until it starts to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato, cumin, allspice, cloves, pepper flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to the blender. Add the broth, bread crumbs, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. (There should still be a little texture.) 3. Transfer the sauce to a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Reserve in the pan off heat. 4. Preheat oven to 250°. Remove the tongue from the cooking liquid. Trim off all fat and gristle. Peel off the tough outer skin. Thinly slice the tongue and arrange, overlapping, on an ovenproof platter and place in 250° oven to keep warm. Reheat the sauce and spoon the sauce over the meat. Garnish with parsley and serve.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.