Lengua en Salsa

From HeatWiki

"Lengua" is Spanish for "tongue." This is a recipe for a cow tongue stew that is popular in Central America. Though it may seem a little odd or strange to some, a cow's tongue is one of the most tender, tasty parts of the cow. The meat, especially closer to the tip of the tongue has an almost sponge-like consistency and the whole tongue has great flavor.

Preparing the Tongue

Before preparing the base of the stew, put the tonge in a large pot and boil it for approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour. Then remove it from the pot and cut and peel the two outer membranes from the meat of the tongue. Then slice the tongue in 1/2 inch cross-sections.

Ingredients

• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• One can tomato Sauce
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• One packet of Brown Gravy Mix
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• One can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup capers
• 4 bay leaves
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• One, large cow tongue, prepared as noted above

Preparation

Heat olive olive oil in medium-sized pot then sauté garlic until brown. Add capers and press into the oil with a spoon, breaking all or most of the capers. Add onions and sauté until tender. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, brown gravy mix, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and mix thoroughly over medium heat before adding the tongue. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes then add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve over long-grain rice.

Notes

Chicken can be substituted for tongue but increase the cooking time to 1 1/2 hours over low heat after adding the chicken.