No. 1658

Sheep's Tongues, Neapolitan Style

Langues de Mouton a la Napolitaine

Blanch and then braise the tongues for two hours in a mirepoix stock (No. 419) with white wine; when cooked pull off the white skin that covers them and lay them under a weight. Split the tongues lengthwise in two, cover the flat side with some Duxelle (No. 385), dip them in beaten eggs and fry; dress in a circle filling in the center with some Neapolitan macaroni (No. 2960), and serve with a tomato sauce (No. 549) mixed with half-glaze sauce (No. 413).

← No. 1657 Sheep's Tongues, Ecarlate with Spinach Mutton No. 1659 Sheep's Trotters a la Poulette →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer writes in cross-references, assuming a brigade with stockpots and sauces already on the stove. The dish itself is straightforward once the tongues are braised, skinned and pressed.

Sourcing the tonguesLamb or sheep tongues are a special order from a halal butcher, a Mexican carniceria or an online offal supplier; they run about 3-4 oz each. Allow two per person, so 8-12 tongues for a dinner of four to six.
Blanching firstThe blanch is not optional. Cover the tongues with cold water, bring to a boil, drain and rinse; this firms them and removes the scum that would cloud the braise.
Mirepoix stock (No. 419)Ranhofer's own formula is given at No. 419; in practice such a braising liquid is diced carrot, onion, celery and a little lean ham or bacon sweated in butter, moistened with white wine and white stock, with thyme and bay. The recipe asks for two hours; a bare simmer, or a covered dish in a moderate oven of roughly 325F, will do it for lamb tongues.
The hinge: skin while hot, press while warmThe rough outer skin peels cleanly only in the first minutes out of the liquid; once cold it clings and tears the meat. Peel immediately, then lay the tongues flat between two trays with a weight on top until cool so they slice evenly and hold the coating.
Duxelle (No. 385)Finely chopped mushrooms and shallots cooked dry in butter until no moisture remains. It must be thick and cool, or it will slide off in the egg wash. A stiff duxelle is what glues the coating to the cut face.
Dip and fryRanhofer says egg only; the coating holds better if you flour lightly, egg, then breadcrumb. Shallow-fry in clarified butter or oil at about 350F, duxelle side down first, two to three minutes a side to colour and heat through.
Neapolitan macaroni (No. 2960)Macaroni boiled, drained and bound with tomato, grated Parmesan and butter, sometimes with a little reduced meat glaze. Any short tubular pasta dressed the same way fills the centre of the ring.
The sauceTomato sauce mixed with half-glaze; Ranhofer gives no proportion, so judge it by taste. A good reduced veal or beef stock, thickened slightly, standing in for the half-glaze gives the depth the tomato alone lacks.

A Little History

Sheep's and lamb's tongues were everyday market goods in the nineteenth century, cheap enough for boarding-house tables and refined enough, once braised and pressed, for Delmonico's. Ranhofer gives the mutton chapter a run of tongue preparations, including "ecarlate" (brine-cured red) and this one, evidence of how thoroughly a kitchen of the 1890s used the whole animal. "A la Napolitaine" in the French classical vocabulary generally signals tomato, macaroni and Parmesan rather than any particular dish from Naples; it was the standard shorthand for the Italian manner as read through a Paris-trained kitchen. The pattern here "cooked, coated, fried, dressed in a ring around a garnish" is a stock construction of the period, letting an inexpensive cut arrive at the table looking composed.