It has given me great pleasure over the past decade to see the rehabilitation of offal, not only on smart restaurant menus but, even more thrillingly, in the repertoire of home cooks. Many have thrown off squeamish timidity and embraced true nose-to-tail eating with gusto. Or even with guts.
For some, it may have started as abit of kitchen posturing ("Admire my adventurous palate!"), but most see the sense and value of an exercise in flavourful thrift (most offal cuts are relatively inexpensive). However you arrive at offal appreciation, the variety of flavours and unique textures achieved when the body parts in question are properly cooked usually turn what may have started as an experiment into a regular treat.
Today, I'll spare you the internal organs and instead focus on a trio that benefit from long, slow cooking. Oxtail is perhaps the least challenging, or most familiar, of the three – it's just an unusual cut of meat on the bone – but the arrangement of linked segments, fibrous meat and gelatinous tendon transforms into a very special texture and deep flavour unmatched by any other cut.
Cheeks, too, when cooked with care, have a very special grain and yielding succulence. Pig's cheeks are traditionally turned into Bath chaps – brined, slow-cooked until tender and served as a cold cut – but today's recipe uses fresh cheeks, which are becoming a more regular feature at good butchers' and farmers' markets.
And so to tongue (and I'd suggest ox tongue rather than calf's, because the latter is likely to come from a veal animal raised on the continent). Brined and slowly simmered, it's another example of a special texture – rich and almost pâté-like – that can't be faked or imitated. I admit, a whole ox tongue looks formidable – it's so like a giant version of the human equivalent, it forces us to confront the fact that we are, undeniably, consuming what was once a living, chewing beast. But if we can't deal with that, should we really be eating meat at all? Put another way, if we're going to raise animals for food, let's treat them well and waste nothing. Especially not heads and tails.
Ox tongue with lentils and green sauce
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients – it's very simple and you will have plenty of tongue left over for sandwiches and salads. Serves six.
For the brine
500g demerara or light muscovado sugar
1.5kg coarse sea salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp juniper berries
5 cloves
4 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
For the tongue
1 whole ox tongue
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 4 parsley stalks, 2 sprigs thyme)
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 clove garlic
For the green sauce
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 large bunch mint, marjoram or basil (or a combination thereof)
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
To finish
300g Puy lentils
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 4 parsley stalks, 2 thyme sprigs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the brine ingredients in a large pan, add five litres of water and, over low heat, stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Bring to a boil, bubble for a few minutes, remove from the heat to cool, then refrigerate until cold.
Put the tongue in a non-metallic container. Cover with the brine, weighting it down, if necessary, to keep it submerged, and leave in a cool place or fridge for four to five days.
Remove the tongue from the brine and soak in fresh, cold water for 24 hours, changing the water at least once more. Put the tongue in a pan with the bouquet garni, vegetables and garlic, cover with fresh water and bring to a gentle simmer. Poach very gently for two and a half to three hours, until tender and yielding. Lift out the tongue, cool and peel off the coarse outer skin.
To make the sauce, finely chop the herbs and put in a bowl with the capers, anchovies and garlic. Add the mustard, seasoning and vinegar, toss, then add enough oil to loosen the mix to a spoonable consistency.
Cook the lentils as per the packet instructions (though adding a bouquet garni to the cooking water), then dress with oil and season. When the tongue is completely cold, cut into 1 cm slices and serve with the lentils and green sauce.
Pigs' cheeks in cider and mustard sauce
You don't need the whole cheek for this, just the trimmed, meaty cushion part. Serves six.
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
30g butter
2 onions, finely diced
1 tsp thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 celery stick, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 free range pig's cheeks, trimmed
2 tbsp flour, seasoned
400ml cider
500ml chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (2 bay leaves, 2parsley stalks, 2 thyme sprigs)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp double cream
3-4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
In a large casserole over medium-low heat, warm a tablespoon of oil and the butter. Sauté the onion, thyme and a pinch of salt until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, sauté for five minutes, add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
With the heat on medium-high, warm the rest of the oil in the same pan. Dust the cheeks in seasoned flour, then brown in batches and transfer to the veg bowl. Deglaze the pan with cider, scraping up any bits, then add the stock, vegetables and meat. Season, add the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook for three hours, until the meat is very tender. Lift out the meat and keep warm. Reduce the sauce to thicken slightly, remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and cream. Return the meat to the sauce, warm gently, season to taste and add parsley. Serve with mash and wilted greens.
Oxtail and chorizo stew
This is even tastier if made a day ahead. Serve with crusty bread and a crisp, green salad. Serves six.
2kg oxtail, cut into 4-5cm slices
5-6 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned
3 tbsp olive oil
400g cooking chorizo, skinned and broken into 4cm chunks
2 onions, finely diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
1 celery stick, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato purée
250ml dry sherry (or white wine)
1.2 litres beef or chicken stock
3 tbsp finely chopped oregano
1 bouquet garni (3 parsley stalks, 2thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf and a strip of orange zest)
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful parsley leaves, chopped
Dust the oxtail pieces in seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Over a medium-high heat, warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole. Brown the oxtail on all sides in batches – don't overcrowd the pan; as each batch is done, transfer to abowl. Pour off all but two tablespoons of oil, brown the chorizo pieces and, when done, add to the oxtail bowl.
Turn the heat to low. Sweat the onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, fry gently for five minutes, stir in the garlic and tomato purée, and cook for aminute. Tip in the sherry, let it bubble away to reduce by a third, then return the meat to the pot.
Add the stock, oregano, bouquet garni and cinnamon, and season. Ifthe liquid does not just cover the meat, top up with water. Bring to aboil, lower the heat and simmer very gently, part-covered, for three hours, stirring from time to time andtopping up with a splash of water if it looks dry. To serve, skim off some of the fat, stir inthe parsley and season to taste.
