Beef tongue is considered a delicacy and is used boiled as an independent dish and as an ingredient in a wide variety of recipes, both traditional and exotic. When preparing the tongue, it is important that its delicate taste is preserved and not spoiled by improper heat treatment.
This offal consists of muscle fibers covered with a dense, rough shell. It can only be removed after boiling. Beef tongue contains vitamins of group B, as well as E and PP and a whole bunch of mineral salts: magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and others necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. It is a source of easily digestible protein with a low calorie content - only 173 kcal per 100 g of product. Boiled beef tongue must be present in the diet of the elderly, and those who are in the recovery period, pregnant women and children.
Before cooking, the tongue, if purchased frozen, should be thawed. To do this, it is enough to put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator overnight or leave it to lie down for 3-4 hours at room temperature. Rinse the chilled or thawed tongue well in running cold water using a metal dishwashing brush to treat its rough surface. Leave it to sit in cold water for half an hour before you start boiling it - this will make it easier to peel it off later.
It is necessary to cut the beef tongue only after it has completely cooled down - in this case, its structure will become denser.
Most famous recipes in which one of the ingredients is beef tongue is used boiled. As with any type of meat, the taste of the tongue will be preserved to the maximum extent if it is boiled in already boiling water. In this case, a layer of boiled protein instantly forms over its entire surface, which seals all its natural juices and aromas inside the tongue. Therefore, prepare a wide-bottomed saucepan for this product so that it fits completely in it. Boil water and place your tongue in a saucepan.
Before boiling starts again, skim off the foam that forms. After re-boiling, reduce heat to minimum so that there is no bubbling. In a saucepan, put the roots, chopped into large pieces: parsnips, carrots and celery root, peeled but not cut onion. Salt the broth, slightly oversalting it. If the tongue is veal or has a small size, until it is ready it is enough to cook it for 2 hours, for a large size beef tongue is cooked for 2, 5-3 hours. 20 minutes before the end of cooking, you need to throw 8-10 black and allspice peas, 3-4 bay leaves into the pan.
Store boiled beef tongue in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days. To do this, it should be placed in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid or wrapped tightly in cling film.
Immediately after boiling, remove your tongue and place it in a large bowl filled with cold water for 2 minutes. After that, remove the shell covering it. As a rule, after such a bath, the beef tongue is very easy to clean. The peeled tongue can be put back in the pot with the broth in which it was boiled and allowed to cool there so that the meat is saturated with the aromas of the spices. If you want to use it as a snack or for sandwiches, after the tongue has cooled completely, fill it with small pieces of garlic.
