This is the definition of a granny dish. Stewed meat and prunes. Literally a grandma-inspired dish is there ever was one. It is a giant bowl of brown too, yet this is a dish that I really enjoyed making, and eating. Beef tongue is such an under-loved cut, being more popular in Latin dishes(for lengua tacos) and very specific European dishes. Yet, I like to stew it, because it gets super tender and soft, yet soaks up the flavor of whatever you’re braising it in. In the case of this dish, it is more like a traditional red wine braise, but with prunes. Prunes are super overlooked, since people just associate them with digestive help. But they are meaty, sweet, and can also soak up a lot of that braising liquid too to take on more savory characteristics. So those, along with red vine, balsamic, and demi glas are being used to really impart that savory notes, as well as break down the beef tongue into a tender, cozy stew. And just to add some freshness, I made an umami oil with parsley, celery, and scallions, and used some of the edible greenery I found in my garden so that this dish does not look like what prunes are used to produce.

For the beef tongue stew:
3 cups beef stock
1 beef tongue
2 white onions, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
5 stalks celery, peeled and diced
8 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
a pinch of dried thyme
a pinch of salt
a pinch of dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup veal demi glas
2 cups red wine(port preferred)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup dried prunes

Fill a large pot with beef stock and bring to a simmer. Place the beef tongue into the pot, fully submerging it in the liquid(add water if needed), and boil, covered, for 1 hour.

While the beef tongue is boiling, in another pot, start by sauteing the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and oregano in olive oil until the vegetables are tender. Then with that same pan, deglaze it with the demi glas, red wine, and balsamic, stirring to remove any solids from the bottom of the pan, and allow that to cook on low, just to cook out the alcohol in the wine and the vegetables to tenderize.

After an hour of being boiled, the beef tongue will need to be fished out and placed into cold water for 5 minutes – this will allow any of the outer skin of the tongue to contract and harden, making it easier to remove. After removing the beef tongue, add to that pot of liquid your vegetables and the vegetables in the red wine reduction. Using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables into the liquid. Then allow that to all cook on medium heat together to reduce down while you work on fabricating the beef tongue.

Pat the beef tongue dry and then place on a cutting board. Using a boning or fish knife, start first by removing the frayed underside of the tongue – this is full of sinew and connective tissue, which can be stringy and unpleasant to eat. Then remove any of the white or pale-grey-colored flesh and skin from the beef tongue. With the remaining bits of beef tongue, cut into a large dice. Place the tongue pieces into the pot of vegetable-beef-wine liquid and cook, covered, for another hour. 40 minutes into the hour braise, add in the prunes – you do not want to cook those for any longer than 20 minutes, or they will break apart into mush.

For the umami oil:
1 cup celery leaves
1 cup fresh parsley
2 scallions, julienned
1 cup olive oil
a pinch of salt

In salted water, blanch the celery leaves, parsley, and scallions for 10 seconds, then shock them all in cold water for 1 minute. Transfer the leaves into a blender and puree with olive oil and salt until smooth. Pass through a cheese cloth to remove any impurities.

For garnish:
Borage flowers
Nasturtium leaves