Dersat el'sane, Algerian Spicy Beef Tongue, Langue de Boeuf en Sauce

I prefer to serve dishes with a red sauce like this on darker colored plates, preferably earth toned. Even a little splatter of red sauce on the sides of a light colored plate does not look so nice to me. But we did not have a darker colored plate, so here you are.

It's taking me longer to post all the recipes from the Iftar photo than it did me to cook them!

Ingredients:

1 beef tongue (boil in water for about 20 minutes, peel off the skin with a very sharp knife)
750 gr- 1kg de langue de boeuf

3 tomatoes concassee
3 tomates

2 red bell peppers chopped
2 poivrons rouges hachees

1 onion chopped
1 oignon hache

2 carrots cut into rounds
2 carrottes coupees en rondelles

1 branch of celery chopped
1 branche de celeri hache

2 bay leaves
2 feuilles de laurier

Optional herbs include thyme, basil, flat leaf parsely or coriander leaf.

Vineger or lemon juice
Vinaigre ou jus de citron

Spices my ras el hanout or you can keep it simple and use cumin, paprika and turmeric.

Salt and pepper
Sel et poivre

Olive oil
Huile d'olive

(other versions include olives, chick peas, garlic or artichokes)

Method:

1. In a big pot saute the onions in olive oil for about 15 minutes over medium/low heat, add the carrots and celery season with salt cook for about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, peppers and the peeled tongue. Cover with water. Season with salt using a light hand. (The sauce will be reduced later so in this case you are not salting to taste until the reduction), bring to a boil and reduce heat to a very gentle simmer, add the bay leaves and cook for about 2 hours. Algerians tend to cook tongue to a very soft texture, if you like your tongue a little firmer, well then stop cooking it when it's done to your liking.

2. Remove the tongue from the broth when it's done. Pass the broth and the vegetables through a sieve or a food mill. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of spices, reduce the sauce by 2/3 at a gentle boil, taste for salt, adjust if necessary.

3. Slice the tongue as shown in the first plate and add it back to the broth, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and heat through. Adding vinegar about 5-10 minutes before a slow cooked soup or stew is done is a very common Maghrebi cooking trick. It brightens up the slow cook flavors.

(Tongue looks a bit odd when it's whole. But if you serve it sliced, those who are unfamiliar with the cut probably wouldn't be able to tell what it is)

Eat with couscous or bread and serve with a side of harissa or dirsa.

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chef zadiFarid Zadi

Comments

[Carolyn]

Beef tongue--one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Cold with horseradish sourcream on rye, miam, miam! The tip about vinegar is one I'll use in the future.