3491. TONGUE stuffed with BACON on POLENTA

3 lb beef tongue
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
8 garlic cloves, peeled coarsely chopped
2 parsley stems with leaves
1 teaspoon sofrito
3 cups fresh pumpkin (or butternut squash) cubed
1 red or yellow pepper, cubed
1 large tomato, cubed
2 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup broth (reserved from tongue)
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Polenta
3 cups broth (reserved from tongue)
1 cup polenta
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Tongue: Rinse the tongue under cold water. Place in a stock pot with a quarter of the onion, 1 cup of the pumpkin, 2 garlic cloves, parsley stems, sofrito, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Fill the pot so 2 inches of water cover the tongue. You will need a very large stockpot. Cover, bring to a boil, and lower heat. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat, and let the tongue rest in the water for 30 minutes. Place the tongue on a cutting board. Peel and discard the skin. Make a dozen 1 inch slits all around the tongue. Press the cut pieces of bacon into the slits. Don't forget to strain the broth from the pot, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat stockpot over medium heat with 2 tblsp of olive oil and the remaining onion. Cook until translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables, season with salt, black and red peppers. Cook until tender and deglaze with 1/2 cup of white wine and 1 cup of broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Put the tongue back in the pot, cover with vegetables, and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Baste every 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut out the bones at the back of the tongue, slice, and serve over polenta with juices. Oh that juice. Garnish with parsley.

Polenta: Heat 3 cups of stock until boiling. Add the polenta in a thin stream, stirring. Stir constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat, add cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.


bacon recipe source: Naomi Donabedian, Cantaloupe Alone (@CantaloupeAlone), October 5, 2009