This ox tongue dish was a pleasant surprise. It subtly combines the acidity of the capers with the sweetness of the Madeira wine and is a nice change to the classic spicy tomato sauce version. A treat for offal lovers like myself 😊 The best side is definitely boiled or steamed potatoes, they just make the dish perfect!

• Preparation: 20 mins
• Rest: overnight
• Cooking: 2 hours
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the tongue

• 1 kg ox tongue
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, cut in big chunks
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 30 g butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 20 cl Madeira wine
• 10 cl veal stock
• 2 tbsp capers
• Sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper

For the brine

• 1 handful of Himalayan rock salt
• 10 cl white wine vinegar

Method

• Rinse the beef tongue. Let it soak overnight in a large bowl full of water, with the rock salt and vinegar. The day after, rinse again carefully, enough to remove the vinegar smell.
• Pin the cloves in the onion quarters. Boil a large quantity of salted water and add the tongue with thyme, bay leaf, carrot, and onion.
• Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for 1.5 hours. Remove the tongue and set the broth aside. Rinse the tongue in cold water, then peel it and slice it. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a pan and add all the flour in one go. Stir well to combine. Add progressively 20 cl of the broth while stirring not to make lumps. Add the Madeira wine and veal stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for about 20 mins to thicken the sauce.
• In the meantime, brown the mushrooms in a bit of oil.
• When the sauce is thick enough, add the tongue slices, the mushrooms, and the capers. Cover and cook for another 5 mins.
• Serve with boiled potatoes.