There are tasty parts of beef and there is tongue. That rough-textured ingredient you see at the butcher’s or squeezed into supermarket trays that makes you wrinkle your nose. I’m wrinkling my nose myself as I write and picture it in my mind. But come on, there are those who turn the muscle into a delight. Chef Wellignton Oliveira did it. A partner of the easygoing Beto Madalosso at Bar Sambiquira, in Curitiba, he took it, cooked it (or smoked it), chopped it, mixed ingredients and created a tongue escabeche, appreciated by one out of every 10 people who frequent the bar in Curitiba.
A bar and family-table classic, tongue escabeche combines the tenderness of slow-cooked meat with a sweet-and-sour sauce full of peppers, onion and vinegar. Served cold or at room temperature, it goes with French bread and works both as a starter and as a main course.
Beef tongue recipes are not exactly new nor are they much appreciated by most people. They arose from the old habit of using every part of the animal, especially in rural European societies where wasting food was neither common nor possible. Time passed and it remained in the people’s mouths and on their plates. Around here, where there is bar food, it’s possible to find recipes with it, the odd one.
But Beto himself confesses: “it’s not a dish that sells a lot, but we’re not going to take it off the menu because it has its clientele. And the bar has this proposal of bringing root food,” he argues. But it’s the chef who has the necessary arguments so that the tongue won’t be silenced. “Tongue is a bovine part that is underestimated until a person tries it. You have to overcome the aversion,” he says.
From the mouth to the plate
Born in São Paulo and with stints in kitchens in Italy and England, Wellington has worked with Beto for almost two decades. In the meantime, he spent a period abroad. Upon returning, he went back to the kitchens of the establishments opened and closed by the entrepreneur in Curitiba, until he was invited to be a partner at Sambiquira, three years ago. They developed the menu together and agreed to keep the ingredient.
“We came in with the tongue escabeche, which has been on the menu from the beginning, but we’ve also had a tongue sandwich and every day we have the executive dish of smoked tongue with polenta.” Everything is made at the bar, which even has its own smoker to prepare the ingredient.
The tongue is purchased in its natural state and goes through a process it can’t escape. It goes straight into the pressure cooker with that thick skin (which I can’t even look at) and all. At that point it can’t be cut and must go in with vinegar, bay leaves and salt. “When it finishes cooking, you have to poke it with the tip of a knife and feel that it’s tender. Then the tongue is ready to be used. The skin should come off easily,” he explains.
After cooking, the chef cools the piece and vacuum-seals it flat. He puts it in the refrigerator and only the next day does he begin the preparation. It can be smoked beforehand or sliced thin to serve as escabeche. He shares the recipe (below), for anyone who wants to make it at home. “I had already tried tongue when I lived abroad. It’s not one of my favorite dishes, but it’s not a bad flavor. You have to try it,” he points out. I tried it, but I liked the mix of the escabeche ingredients more than the tongue itself. I suggest you prepare the recipe following the chef’s steps or go there to taste it. And tell me what you thought.
Tongue escabeche
Ingredients
2 beef tongues (about 1 kg)
500 g yellow bell pepper cut into thin strips
500 g red bell pepper cut into thin strips
3 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced
900 g onion, sliced
700 ml vinegar
1,5 l soybean oil
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
120 g black olives, sliced
120 g capers
½ bunch parsley, chopped
French bread for serving
Method of preparation
Start by cooking the tongues in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them, a splash of vinegar and salt. Cook for about 30 minutes after it comes to pressure. Remove, discard all the skin that surrounds the meat and return the tongues to the same water in the pot. With the pot uncovered, finish cooking for about 30 minutes more, until they are very tender.
While the meat finishes cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large pot, heat the oil over low heat and add the sliced garlic. Let it cook slowly for about 15 minutes, just to perfume the oil. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for 15 minutes more.
Add the vinegar, season with salt and black pepper and mix well. Remove from the heat and fold in the capers, black olives and parsley. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary.
Slice the tongues, already cold, into very thin slices and mix them with the escabeche sauce. Let rest so the flavors meld and serve accompanied by French bread.
