3661. LAMB'S TONGUES, TURNIPS and BACON

serves four


6 lamb’s tongues (give them a rinse with cold water)
7 cups chicken stock
1 head of garlic, separated and peeled
a bundle of fresh thyme and parsley tied together
6 young turnips with healthy greens chopped off but kept
2 dollops of duck fat or unsalted butter
16 shallots, peeled and left whole
1 1/4 pound piece of smoked streaky bacon, skinned and cut into chunks
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

In a pot cover the lamb’s tongues with the chicken stock. Add the garlic and herbs, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 2 hours, until the tongues are giving. Remove the tongues and allow to cool, just to a handleable temperature as they are much easier to peel when warm. While doing this cook your turnips in the stock.

When cooked remove the turnips from the stock, take it off the heat, and return the peeled tongues to the cooling stock.

In an ovenproof frying pan, melt the duck fat or butter and fry the shallots just enough to color them, not burn them. Then pop them into a medium to hot 375 degree oven to roast for 15 minutes, again watching that they do not burn. When soft, sweet, and giving, remove them from the oven.
Now remove the tongues from the stock and slice them in half lengthwise.

Heat a deep frying pan that has a lid, or a shallow saucepan. Melt a spot of duck fat, fry the bacon in this so as to slightly color it, add the tongue and turnips, allow these to color it, add the tongue and turnips, all these to color, then add the shallots and a healthy splash of the stock to half-cover the pan’s contents.

Let this start to boil, add the greens and season with salt and pepper, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove the ingredients to a hot deep plate, then ladle some of the liquor in the pan over, making it as dry or as brothy as you wish. Just before eating sprinkle the dish with a little vinegar.


bacon recipe source: Fergus Henderson, The Whole Beast (Ecco Press, 2004); Shadowcook, September 17, 2009