Braised Lamb Tongues

Like many parts of the animal not normally used in modern Western restaurants, lamb tongues are common in the Caucasus. You can find boiled tongues on the menu at Apsheron in Sheepshead Bay. This small and somewhat scarce meat cut owes its relative popularity to its pronounced lamb flavor and its unique texture that melts in your mouth. Nevertheless, it still suffers from a serious appearance problem: most people are not inclined to put into their mouth a tongue that does not belong to, say, their significant other.

This is where this recipe saves the day. Braising the tongues preserves their texture and flavor, but shredding them and reshaping them into a log makes diners forget what part they’re eating.

In order to bind the reshaped meat, I use transglutaminase, a “meat glue” that can be purchased here (it’s usually sold in large bags, but all you’ll ever need is a few tablespoons). However, you should be able to obtain a similar result with a beaten egg.

Braised lamb tongues
Yields 2 servings

1 lb lamb tongues (about 6 tongues)
salt
5 oz fennel, medium dice
5 oz carrots, medium dice
5 oz zucchini, medium dice
olive oil
ground black pepper
2 thyme sprigs
1 small rosemary sprig
2 cloves
1 cup white wine
3 cups lamb stock (or 4 cups water and 1 lb roasted lamb bones)
1/2 oz butter
1 tsp transglutaminase
Wondra flour

• Blanch the lamb tongues in salted boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and reserve.
• In a pot, sauté the fennel, carrots and zucchini in olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add the pepper, thyme, rosemary, cloves and white wine, and cook until reduced by half. Add the lamb tongues and enough lamb stock to cover them, then bring to a simmer over high heat. Transfer the pot to a 200 F oven, and cook for about 3 hours, until the tongues are very tender. Let cool for 30 minutes.
• Take the tongues out of the pot and reserve. Strain the cooking liquid, transfer to a saucepan and reduce over high heat to about 3/4 cup, so that it coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in the butter and let cool.
• Peel the lamb tongues and shred them between your fingers into a bowl. Mix in the transglutaminase, then 2/3 of the reduced liquid. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll tightly into a log, about 6″ long. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Reserve the rest of the liquid to use as sauce.
• Remove the lamb log from the plastic wrap, and cut into 4 slices. Sprinkle both sides of each slice with Wondra flour, then sauté with olive oil in a hot pan until brown on both sides. Finish in a 350 F oven for about 5 minutes.
• Serve 2 slices on each plate, with a bit of reheated sauce on top.