167. How To Cure Beef Tongue

Throw a handful of salt over the tongue, seeing that it is sprinkled on both sides, let it remain to drain until the following day, make a pickle of a table-spoonful of common salt, half that quantity of saltpetre, and the same quantity of coarse sugar as of salt; rub this mixture well into the tongue, do so every day for a week; it will then be found necessary to add more salt, a table-spoonful will suffice, in four more days the tongue will be cured sufficiently.

Some persons do not rub the pickle into the tongue, but let it absorb it merely turning it daily, this method will be found to occupy a month or five weeks before it will be cured. When the tongue is to be dried affix a paper to it with a date; smoke over a wood fire four days unless wrapped in paper, and then as many weeks will be required.

168. How To Dress Beef Tongues

To dress them, boil the tongue tender, it will take five hours; always dress them as they come out of the pickle, unless they have been very long there, then they may be soaked three or four hours in cold water, or if they have been smoked, and hung long, they should be softened by lying in water five or six hours, they should be brought to a boil gently, and then simmer until tender; when they have been on the fire about two hours, and the scum removed as it rises, throw in a bunch of sweet herbs of a tolerable size, it will improve the flavour of the tongue.

169. Tongue Larded

This when well cooked is especially pleasant to some palates. Take a tongue which has been pickled, a small one is the best, cut off the root, and put it into a pan; cover it with water, and let it boil five-and-twenty or thirty minutes. Take it out, and then dip it in scalding water to blanch, and remove the skin.

Take a piece of fat bacon, cut it into strips for larding. Make a seasoning of pounded sweet herbs, eschalot, mace, and a little cayenne pepper mixed with white pepper and salt; sprinkle the bacon strips with it, and leaving a line for division down the centre of the tongue. Lard it all over. Braise the tongue, and then glaze; separate it in the space left, but leave it attached at either end, so that when laid open on the dish it is not entirely divided in two. Have ready some brown sauce, flavoured with minced capers, sliced pickled gherkins, the juice of half a lemon, and half a small tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper. Pour it when ready into a dish; lay the tongue upon it, and serve as hot as possible.

170. How To Stew A Tongue

Cut away the root of the tongue, but leave the fat underneath, and salt as above for seven days. Put it into a saucepan, and boil gently until tender, and it will peel easily. Put it into a stewpan, cover it with a rich gravy, into which put a spoonful of mushroom ketchup, one of soy, and half a spoonful of cayenne pepper. Stew in the gravy morels, truffles, and mushrooms, and serve with them in the gravy.