La Lengua Recipes

SLOW COOKER LENGUA (BEEF TONGUE)

Steps:

• Place beef tongue, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in the crock of a slow cooker; generously season with salt. Pour in enough water to cover beef mixture.
• Cook on Low for 8 hours.
• Transfer beef tongue to a work surface and cool slightly. Peel outer layer of skin from beef tongue and remove rough end. Chop the meat into bite-size pieces.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir beef tongue meat until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

LENGUA (BEEF TONGUE)

Steps:

• Place the tongue, half of the chopped onion, garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons salt, and 1 jalapeno pepper into a large pot. Fill with water to cover the tongue by several inches, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until very tender, 3 to 4 hours. Remove the tongue from the water and allow to cool. Reserve the liquid. Once the tongue has cooled, peel off the tough outer skin, then shred the meat using two forks.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the whole tomatoes and 2 jalapeno peppers; boil until the vegetables are tender. Place the vegetables into a blender, and puree until smooth. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Once the onion has softened, stir in the shredded beef tongue and tomato salsa. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then pour in 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Cook and stir until the liquid has evaporated, leaving moist, flavorful meat, about 20 minutes.

LA LENGUA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large, heavy, ovenproof braising pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are just translucent, about 7 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except tortillas and garnish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place in the oven. Braise the tongue until the meat is very tender and forms cracks in the surface, about 3 hours.
• Remove the tongue from the pan, discarding the other ingredients, and allow to cool. Using a paring knife, carefully peel off the skin (which should remove easily); try to leave the tongue intact. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices and cut again into 1/3-inch-thick matchsticks (fine julienne) and place in a bowl. Serve right away or keep warm until ready to serve.
• To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with garnish and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with garnish and salsa, fold, and eat right away.