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Celery Tops
Cover tongue with cold water, add seasonings, bring rapidly to boiling point, lower heat and simmer 21/2 hours. Then remove skin and simmer 1/2 hour more, or until tender.
Nothing makes a bigger picnic hit than tongue sandwiches.
A bare-bones method for simmered beef tongue, meant to be cooked ahead and sliced cold for sandwiches. The instructions assume you know what a fresh tongue looks like and how much water covers it.
- Size and timingA fresh beef tongue runs 2 1/2 to 4 lb; at the larger end expect closer to 3 1/2 hours total rather than the 3 given here. It is done when a skewer slides into the thickest part with no resistance.
- Fresh or curedThe recipe reads as fresh (unbrined) tongue, since no soaking or water change is called for. A cured or corned tongue should be soaked and the first water discarded, or the sandwiches will be punishingly salty.
- SeasoningsNo quantities or ingredients are given. Aromatics commonly used for boiled tongue include onion, carrot, bay, peppercorns and cloves, with salt to taste.
- Keep it at a bare simmerThis is the hinge. A rolling boil tightens the muscle and leaves it stringy; hold the water at a lazy quiver, barely bubbling, for the whole cooking time.
- Peeling the skinThe skin lifts most easily while the tongue is hot. Slit it along the underside and peel from the thick end toward the tip; trim the gristle and fat at the root before returning it to the pot.
- Cooling for sandwichesFor clean slices, let the peeled tongue cool in its own cooking liquid, then chill it before carving thin across the grain. Warm, it is much harder to slice neatly.
- YieldA 3 lb tongue yields roughly 2 lb of trimmed meat, enough for eight to ten generous sandwiches.