Wednesday is Recipe Day at Cooking Manager.
Long-time readers will realize that this recipe is unusual for Cooking Manager, where I tend to focus on more frugal ingredients. There’s a story behind my choice. It started when a local reader asked me how to handle a large package of sliced, frozen, cooked tongue.

Her mother-in-law had made it for my friend’s husband and son, who loved it, but my friend couldn’t stand the thought of it. She wanted to transfer it to smaller portions for her family to eat, preferably when she was in another room. I told her that if she had too much, I would love to have a taste. My mother used to make tongue, but my husband never liked the idea.

My friend removed the tongue from the freezer to the refrigerator just long enough to separate the slices, then repacked them in small portions. She put one aside for me. It was absolutely fantastic, melt-in-your-mouth good and not at all rubbery. My husband and kids all enjoyed it except for one who doesn’t like beef at all (go figure), and my friend had her mother-in-law send me the recipe.

So vegetarians, please turn the other way, but if you’re a meat eater looking for a treat for Rosh Hashanah or another occasion, I highly recommend this one. Keep in mind that you need to start several days in advance.

Spicy Tongue with Garlic and Allspice

1 whole fresh or frozen tongue,  about three pounds. Serves 9.

Ingredients for Marinade (soak for three to four days)

• 3.5 tablespoons salt (see note)
• 20 allspice berries
• 20 black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 10 cloves of garlic
• Water to cover

Ingredients for cooking liquid:

• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon celery salt (may be omitted)
• 8 cloves of garlic
• Water to cover

Instructions:

1. Boil ingredients for marinade.
2. Cool and pour over the tongue.
3. Soak for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
4. Spill out the liquid and spices.
5. Add the  ingredients for the cooking liquid and cook in the pressure cooker for two hours (six hours in conventional pot, or 10-12 hours in the crockpot.
6. Let cool enough to remove the skin, then cook for another ten minutes.

Note: The original recipe called for a tablespoon of saltpeter. After doing some research and learned that saltpeter, or potassium nitrate, acts as a preservative and colors the meat pink. Since it’s no longer considered safe for use in cooking, so I increased the amount of salt as recommended on several recipe sites.

You may also enjoy:

Low-Fat Turkey Meatloaf

Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce

Marinara Sauce in the Pressure Cooker

A Week of Weekday (Vegetarian) Meals

Rosh Hashanah Recipes and Tips

Photo credit: joo0ey