CookEat Recipe
Braised Beef Tongue with Celery
Beef tongue slowly braised with prosciutto and vegetables, then sliced and served with celery and a strained sauce thickened with browned butter and flour.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 kg beef tongue, trimmed of throat tissue and excess fat by the butcher; Water for the initial simmer; 50 g prosciutto containing fat and lean, finely chopped; 70 g butter: 50 g for braising and 20 g for the roux; Half a medium onion, finely chopped; 550 g celery: 50 g finely chopped for the braise and 500 g cut into short pieces for the accompaniment; 50 g carrot, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; Salt and black pepper; About 700 ml ready-to-use stock, added gradually; 150 ml plain tomato purée; 1 level tablespoon plain flour, about 8 g.
Step 2
Put the trimmed tongue in a pot, cover with water and simmer for about 45–60 minutes, just until its tough outer skin can be peeled away. Lift it out and peel while warm enough for the skin to release, using clean utensils and care around the heat. Immediately continue cooking; do not refrigerate or hold the partly cooked tongue.
Step 3
Put the finely chopped prosciutto, half onion, 50 g celery, carrot and parsley in a heavy casserole with 50 g butter. Add the peeled tongue, season with salt and pepper and brown gently on all sides for about 10–15 minutes.
Step 4
Add the tomato purée and a little stock. Cover and simmer gently, adding the stock a little at a time and turning occasionally, for about 1½–2 hours or longer until the tongue is tender and at least 72°C in the thickest part. Transfer it to a covered warm dish and strain the cooking sauce.
Step 5
For the accompaniment, simmer the remaining 500 g celery in a separate pan of water for about 10–15 minutes until nearly tender, then drain. In the casserole melt the remaining 20 g butter with the level tablespoon flour and cook, stirring, until hazelnut brown. Gradually stir in the strained sauce until smooth.
Step 6
Return the tongue to this sauce and add the drained celery. Simmer gently for another 10–15 minutes, turning the tongue and celery through the sauce. Slice the tongue about 1 cm thick and serve with the celery and sauce.
Step 7
Tomato paste may replace the purée: use about 1 tablespoon paste and an additional 125 ml stock during the braise. For a different vegetable accompaniment, replace the finishing celery with 500 g carrots cut into short pieces, simmer separately until nearly tender and finish in the same sauce; retain the 50 g celery in the initial chopped vegetables.
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