Lengua Entomatada (Beef Tongue in Tomato)

This is one of my favorite parts of beef. My grandmother prepares it in a delicous tomato and red wine based sauce with cuban herbs, spices, olive oil, bell peppers, onions, and garlic.

It is delicous with fluffy rice so the rice can soak some of the savory rich sauce served with a raw salad typically of cucumber, tomato, and onion (I like to put Mojo de Ajo on the salad)

Ingredients for preparing tongue:
-2 1/2 lbs. of beef tongue
-2 bay leaves
-4 whole peeled garlic cloves
-1/2 onion
-salt to taste
-water

Ingredients for the rest and sauce:
-1 whole onion cut in half and julienned
-1 green bell pepper cut in half, cleaned and julienned
-6 cloves of garlic peeled, crushed and minced
-1 can 15 oz. of tomato puree
-1 cup water
-1 Cup of Red Wine (when cooking Cuban food you don't need fancy wines to cook GOYA brand wines work great with Cuban food)
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-black pepper to taste
-Salt to taste

Directions for beef tongue:
(1)Bring water to a boil in a pot, add bay leaves, oregano, pepper, onion, garlic, salt and beef tongue. When boiling cover and simmer on low for 2-3 hours. (If boiled any longer it will become to tender and break easily)


(2)Remove beef tongue when done and get rid of the stock and stuff we don't like the stock from the beef tongue.
(3)When you remove the beef tongue, wait for it to cool a but, remove the hard skin covering the tongue also remove excess fat then slice it about 1/2 inch thick or 1 inch thick slices. Set aside and reserve. Directions for the rest and sauce:
(1)Heat generous amounts of olive oil in a pan on medium to medium high, sautee bell peppers, onions, and garlic until fragrant and the onion is slightly translucent.
(2)Add red wine and bring it to a boil, add tomato puree, dilute with a littel water to form a sauce, add oregano, cumin, pepper, and salt to taste bring to a boil and cover then simmer on low covered for about 5 minutes. (3)Uncover and add beef tongue slices then bring back to a boil cover and simmer an additional 5 minutes then turn of heat. Sprinkle chopped parsley or cilantro to garnish (4)You are done enjoy.

NOTE: The sauce is NOT suppose to be really thin so do not dilute with to much water. Also some people like to use the beef tongue stock instead of water but for some reason it grosses my mother and grandma out so they just throw it away and use water. Plus the stock from the beef tongue is really greasy and may make the beef tongue flavor too strong.