Pressed ox-tongue

This weekend was fantastic, the weather was a dream and I was able to get out into the woods and fields. This is about the last time in the year prior to the breeding season to do a head count, for the game and the wild fowl.

I had been out counting geese in  a nature reserve and returned along a road that took me past an Abatoir (the largest in Europe) so I popped in to see what was fresh, I noticed that  there was brined ox-tongue. Well said I (to myself of course) I havn't done that in a long time so for the princly sum of €10,- I got a 2kg tongue.

So here is what I done with it!

I cut a bit of the gristle and unsightly parts away and next I put the herbs and spices that it would be boiled in together. I use a pressure cooker for this as I find it is best and also it works every time.

Ingredients:

2kg (or there abouts) ox-tongue

25g of dried soup vegetables

1 onion studded with a bayleaf and 5 cloves

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon of pepper corns

1/2 an egg cup of course sea salt with herbs in. ( I got it from France last year, if you havn't got any don't top yourself, just use  normal salt and a bit of herb de provence)

6 juniper berries

1 sprig of thyme (dried)

4 cardamom pods

a piece of mace

a piece of cinnamon

1 large stalk of parsley

1 dried chilli (my last one from the balcony)

1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

1 litre of good stock (marigold vegetable)

enough water to cover.

Trim the tongue, place this in the bottom of the pressure cooker, place all of the other ingredients into the PC (is that PC?)

Pour in the stock and then enough cold water to just cover the whole lot.

Put it onto the stove at max presure and watch a bit of tele for 2 hours.

When it is ready (it will be after 2 hours) remove from the liquor (this is a great stock for soups and stews it also freezes well but strain through a sieve).

Now comes the ooch my fingers are burning part, remove the tough outer skin on the tongue, it should if cooked properly come away quite easily,better to use 2 forks (I didn't, finger still red).

I have a spring form that I make my pork and game pies in. this is ideal for pressing tongue, place the  tongue into the form, pour some of the liquor to cover, now put a saucer on top and an 800g tin of something on top of this. Leave in a cool place to set, that it, easy peasy.

 

Serve hot or cold, if serving hot make a madiera sauce and warm slices of the pressed tongue in this, serve with new potatoes and Asparagus (it will be here soon).

Cold! Well a nice bit of course grained mustard, some pickles and fresh cut crusty bauernbrot goes very well with it!

Tuesdays evening meal