La Lengua

Name: La Lengua
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 medium white onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice; 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced; 2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 bay leaves; 6 cups beef broth; 6 dried de arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened; 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened; 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened; 2 whole cloves; 8 whole allspice berries; 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano; 1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164); 1 beef tongue (about 3 1/2 pounds), trimmed; 14 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving; Garnish: Pickled vegetables, pickled jalapenos, sprigs of fresh cilantro

17 ingredients

14 steps

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
6 cups beef broth
6 dried de arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened
4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened
2 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164)
1 beef tongue (about 3 1/2 pounds), trimmed
14 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving
Garnish: Pickled vegetables, pickled jalapenos, sprigs of fresh cilantro

Directions

1

Preheat the oven to 325F.
2

In a large, heavy, ovenproof braising pan, heat the oil on medium heat.
3

Saute the onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are just translucent, about 7 minutes.
4

Add all the remaining ingredients except tortillas and garnish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place in the oven.
5

Braise the tongue until the meat is very tender and forms cracks in the surface, about 3 hours.
6

Remove the tongue from the pan, discarding the other ingredients, and allow to cool.
7

Using a paring knife, carefully peel off the skin (which should remove easily); try to leave the tongue intact.
8

Cut the meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices and cut again into 1/3-inch-thick matchsticks (fine julienne) and place in a bowl.
9

Serve right away or keep warm until ready to serve.
10

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter.
11

Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with garnish and salsa.
12

Grab, fold, and eat right away.
13

Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand.
14

Spoon on some filling, top with garnish and salsa, fold, and eat right away.