This dish is nourishing and warm in a way that encourages you to stay at the table a little longer. Beyond the Portuguese spices though, I confess that what really settles me is the way my plate looks after I have finished my meal. Sounds crazy, but completely true. Anyway, my grandmother would insist that you clean your plate.
Traditional spices and fats after you clean your plate
Notice those little golden red-stained blemishes of goodness (ie. grease!) around the edges of the dish. Left behind, this is evidence of a hearty meal with enough fat to satiate, doused in paprika. And this reminds me of many meals at my grandparents home while I was growing up.
I confess that those beads on the bottom of the bowl are the reason that I let Rick Bayless into my life after an accidental discovery following a bowl of soup.
Meanwhile, every dripping was saved in my grandparents home. Whole animals were used, nothing wasted. And those animals rendered plenty of traditional fats. The start – and end – of every dish.
So whenever I find these golden red beads at the end of the meal, I feel comforted and want to stay a little longer. If not paprika, any base of tomatoes or peppers, cooked slowly with traditional fats will do. To me, this feels so nourishing, so satiating, a measure of good food.
No really, clean your plate
But you know, those paprika-stained fat globules were not confined to our dinner plates. My grandma used to wash the dishes by hand, in two tubs in the sink. I loved this routine of hers and I loved being close to her while she washed the dishes.
One tub for soaking and soaping, and another for a clean dunk to finish off. Hot, hot water. The soapy tub would have so much of this grease after soaking the dishes, but she managed to get the dishes clean with a little soap and scrubbing. Shockingly, that clean water tub stayed relatively clean near through to the end.
Dishes racked up next to the sink, she would clean out those two yellow plastic tubs, and drape them over the dishes to dry. Later that evening the tubs and dish rack would be put away under the sink. Kitchen always clean before the next meal.
Portuguese-style tongue
By taking the few minutes to brine the tongue in advance, you will be rewarded with moist and tender meat. Each bite delicious in a sort of dreamy way. I adapted this recipe from my old-school Foods of the Azores Islands by Deolinda Maria Avila, lovingly donated to my cookbook collection by my mom.
If I were back in my grandparents home, we would stay at the table for a long while anyway. Our plates piled high from the start, and the insistence that my sister and I finish every last bite. My grandma, would have served this tongue with garlic-y greens over a generous serving of polenta (but go with whatever you’ve got :).
When the meal is through, be mindful. My grandma (and probably yours, too) would never have let the water run while cleaning your plate.
Notes
Most of the cook time is simply poaching the tongue and allowing it to re-warm in the sauce. Each step is pretty simple and can be prepared in advance since the poached tongue can remain in its poaching liquid for a couple of days in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the brine (optional)
- 1 beef tongue
- 1/2 gallon water
- 4 oz salt
- 1 t peppercorns, crushed
- 1/2 t allspice berries, crushed
- 3 cloves garlic
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
To poach the tongue
- 1 cow's tongue (optionally brined)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, in large slices
- 1 celery stick, in large slices
- 1 head garlic, halved
- 6 peppercorns
- 6 allspice berries
- 1 bay leaf
- A few stems of parsley
- A few sprigs of thyme
To prepare the tongue
- 1 cow's tongue, peeled
- 3 t ghee
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/8 t allspice
- 1/8 t cinnamon
- 3/4 t paprika
- Salt
- 1 15 oz can tomatoes
- 1 c broth
Instructions
- Optionally, prepare a brine and when cool, soak tongue for up to 2 days. Prepare brine by adding water to a pot and adding remaining ingredients: salt, peppercorns, allspice berries, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Heat water and stir occasionally until all salt is dissolved. (it's a very saturated solution and unlikely to absorb all the salt without heating.) At that point, turn off heat, and pour into a jar to cool. Make sure that the brine is cooled completely. Once cool, pour the brine over the tongue, set in the fridge, and soak for up to two days.
- To poach the tongue, add the tongue to a pot with water to cover by at least an inch or two. Bring to a boil, and then return heat to medium-low or low. Skim any foam that has risen to the surface, then add aromatics: onion, carrot, celery, garlic, peppercorns, allspice berries, and your bouquet garni. Cover the pot so that water does not evaporate too quickly leaving the tongue exposed. If parts of your tongue are floating, try to keep the bottom back part up so that all the thick skin on the top of the tongue remains submerged. Poach for about 2 hours.
- Remove tongue and set on a plate to cool. Reserve liquid. As soon as it's cool enough to handle, peel the tongue. After it's been peeled, it is ready to be used, but can be returned to it's poaching liquid for up to a day or two. Regardless, reserve the liquid for using later in the week, for cooking grains or making soup.
- To prepare the final dish, saute onion in ghee until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. When fragrant, in about 30 seconds to a minute, add allspice, cinnamon, paprika and salt. Stir well, add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, slice tongue into 1/2-inch slices. Reduce heat to low, add the tongue. Cover and let simmer until warm throughout or up to an hour to absorb more flavor, turning slices occasionally.
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