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| Lengua Burrito Grande |
Halloween is just two weeks away. What better time, to bring out my all-time scariest dish... ever. Muahahaha.
The things we do for love. My husband lived in California, for ten years, before we met. One of the things he mentioned a lot, and missed was, lengua burritos, from a roadside taqueria, he frequented. I'd curl my lip in disgust, every time he brought it up. Finally I decided to surprise him, and attempt to make them for his birthday.
He mentioned that it had rice and cheese in a red sauce, topped with fried lengua and salsa verde. I didn't think I could duplicate it, from such vague details, but I gave it a go. I'll bet I was pretty funny, that first time I put one in a pot, I remember, having to look away, as I was washing it in the sink. Could there be anything, more disgusting looking, than a GIANT tongue? At that point I decided, I'd prefer to take a bullet, to prove my love, but since I had already started this project, I might as well finish it. I was hoping it wasn't going to be another, liver and onions fiasco, from a previous birthday. ( The smell of liver cooking, has a hurl factor of 10 to the nth power, for me.)
I had not planned to even try it, but the finished product smelled so incredible, that I couldn't resist. If you can get past the image of the tongue, these are really good. Although a lot of people have liked the taste, but still could not eat them.
Ingredients:
1 beef tongue
3 bay leaves
1 Tbl. minced garlic
1 whole peeled onion
1tsp. salt
1/2tp. pepper
1cup of beef broth- or 2Tbl. bullion, or base
water as needed
For the rice:
2-1/2cups water
1/2tsp. salt
1/2cup taco sauce
3cups instant rice
1/2cp shredded sharp cheddar
Bring the water, salt, and taco sauce to a boil. Turn off the flame, and add the rice and cheese. Cover and let stand 5-minutes.
You'll also need:
oil for frying
a diced onion
1/2tsp. minced garlic
1/4tsp. salt
salsa verde- also called tomatillo sauce and green taco sauce
flour tortillas
Preparation:
Wash the tongue thoroughly, add it to a 4qt. pot, along with all other ingredients. I've been told, you should remove the layer of fat before cooking, but I don't.
Fill the pot with water, until 3/4 full. Boil for 3-4hours, or until tender, adding water as necessary. You'll know it's done when a meat fork pierces all the way through, without resistance. Remove the beef from the pot, discard the broth.
Allow to cool slightly, then peel the skin, and remove the fat, from it. If you wait until it cools too much, it's difficult to remove it, the hotter the better.
Cut or shred it into small chunks, and let it cool 30 minutes.
Heat about 1/8-inch of oil, in a skillet, until very hot. Add the beef, diced onion, 1/2tsp. minced garlic, and 1/4tsp. salt. Fry/brown it for about 5-minutes. You want it to get a bit of a crispy crust, but not too much.
Dump the beef into a colander, and let it drain, while you make the rice.
Warm a flour tortilla, on a griddle, or in the microwave. Add equal amounts of the rice mixture, and the beef, then top with a little salsa verde.
The beef also makes a great filler, for the classic-tacos and burritos.
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| Cook until very tender. Now doesn't that look appetizing? I told my
sister, I should dress up like a zombie, and try to pass it out to,
trick or treat-ers. She started singing "♪ I frenched a cow, and I liked
it ♪" Ya, we've been at it all day, with the tongue jokes, most of them, too lewd to post. |
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| Are you still there? Remove the layer of fat. |
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| Cut it into about 4 pieces, then peel the skin, and remove any gristle fat or tissue. |
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| Cut or shred, into small pieces. |
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| Heat oil in a skillet until almost smoking. Add the beef, onion, garlic, and salt. Fry until somewhat crispy. |
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| Warm a tortilla, and fill with an equal amount of beef and rice, then top with a little salsa verde |
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