WOK WITH BEEF TONGUE
Serves four
- 1 EMH beef tongue
- 100 ml rice vinegar
- 100 ml Shaoxing wine
- 200 ml soy sauce
- a thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 2 tbsp sugar
stir-fry:
- 500 g wok vegetables or frozen stir-fry mix
- 1 can (230 g) pineapple pieces in their own juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tsp sugar
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
to serve:
- spring onions
- sesame seeds
Place the tongue in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and skim the foam. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, wine, sugar and sliced ginger. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for a couple of hours or until tender. Remove from the cooking liquid, rinse under cold running water and peel the skin off immediately. Return the tongue to the pot in the liquid until fully cooled.
For the stir-fry sauce, drain the pineapple but reserve the juice. Mix the juice with soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup and sugar. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with cold water and stir into the sauce.
Cut the tongue into cubes or strips of your preferred size. Heat oil in a pan and fry the tongue pieces until golden. Add the vegetables and heat through. Pour in the sauce, stir well and bring to a boil. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little water. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds to serve.
GRILLED BEEF TONGUE
Serves four to five
- 400 g EMH beef tongue
marinade:
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp black (Chinkiang) rice vinegar or regular rice vinegar
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- freshly ground black pepper
salad:
- 250 g Brussels sprouts
- 1 red chilli
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of sugar
- 2-3 tbsp white wine vinegar
Cut the required portion from the thicker part of the tongue and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up (this makes slicing easier). Mix the marinade. Remove the tongue from the freezer, peel off the skin with a sharp knife and slice as thinly as possible. Pour some of the marinade into a wide shallow dish, then layer in the tongue slices, alternating with marinade until both are used up. Let marinate for at least one hour.
Slice the Brussels sprouts very thinly, chop the chilli. Toss in a bowl with salt, pepper and vinegar. Squeeze well and leave to develop flavour. Before serving, squeeze out the excess vinegar liquid.
Shake off the excess marinade from the tongue slices and grill over hot coals for 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with the salad.
BEEF TONGUE IN GHERKIN SAUCE
Serves four
- 400 g EMH cooked beef tongue
- 2 medium onions
- 30 g butter
- 2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 150 g wild mushrooms or button mushrooms
- 2-3 medium pickled gherkins
- 400 ml beef tongue broth
- freshly ground black pepper
- a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Peel the onions and chop finely. Heat a mixture of butter and oil in a pan and fry the onion until translucent. Season with black pepper and paprika, add the tomato paste and stir well. Dust with flour, stir to combine without lumps and heat for 1-2 minutes, then gradually add the broth while stirring constantly. Chop or slice the mushrooms and gherkins and add to the sauce, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Chop the parsley and sprinkle over the sauce. Slice the tongue and place in the sauce. Serve as a starter. As a main course, serve with potatoes or pasta.
BEEF TONGUE AND CHORIZO SOUP
Serves six to eight
- 1 EMH beef tongue
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- 4-5 parsley stalks
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
- salt
Soak the beef tongue in cold water for a couple of hours, changing the water a few times. Place the tongue in a large pot and cover generously with water (about 2.5 to 3 litres), bring to a boil, skim the foam, add the vegetables, spices and salt to taste. Cover and simmer gently for 2-3 hours or until tender. Remove the tongue from the broth, let it cool slightly and peel immediately. Strain the broth.
Soup:
- 2 litres tongue broth
- 100-120 g pearl barley
- 7 small potatoes
- 70 g kale
- 250 g tomatoes
- 200 g chorizo
- cooked tongue, as much as you like
Rinse the barley under running water, place in a pot, cover with water, add a little salt and cook until tender (not mushy!), drain and rinse with cold water if needed. Slice the chorizo and fry in a pan until golden, cut the tongue into small cubes or slices, chop the tomatoes (if using cherry tomatoes, halve them). Pour the broth into a soup pot, add the potatoes cut to your liking and cook briefly, then add the barley and kale. Once the potatoes are soft, add the tomatoes, chorizo and tongue. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Serve!
