by Julia Child
Either the pig’s liver, heart, and kidneys cut into ⅜-inch dice (1¼ to 1½ cups);
Or ¾ lb. liver, calf or chicken, diced
¼ cup minced shallots or scallions
¼ tsp thyme
Salt and pepper
Heat fat in pan to very hot but not smoking, and stir in the liver mixture, shallots or scallions, and thyme. Toss and turn for 2 minutes, just to stiffen liver. Season, and scoop out into mixing bowl, leaving fat in pan.
2½ cups minced onions
Stir the onions into the pan, cover and cook slowly 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent. Season lightly, scoop half into mixing bowl, and leave the rest in the pan.
1 whole head of garlic
A pan of boiling water
Butter if needed
1½ cups plain, raw, white untreated rice
⅓ cup dry, white wine or dry, white French vermouth
1⅓ cups chicken broth, hot
1⅓ cups hot water
½ tsp salt
½ imported bay leaf
¼ tsp thyme
Big pinch saffron threads
Separate garlic cloves, drop them unpeeled into boiling water, and boil 2 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, slip off peel, quarter garlic lengthwise, and reserve. If fat in frying pan has darkened, drain onions and return them to pan with 3 tablespoons butter. Blend in rice, and stir over moderate heat for several minutes until rice becomes translucent, then milky in color. Stir in the wine or vermouth, chicken broth, hot water, salt, herbs, and saffron. Bring to the slow boil, add the garlic, and stir once; cover, and boil slowly for about 15 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is almost but not quite tender. Set aside, uncovered.
3 to 4 ounces (½ cup) seedless black raisins or currants
A bowl of very hot water
Drop raisins into hot water and let soften 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry in the corner of a towel, and add to mixing bowl.
½ lb. (1⅓ to 1½ cups) best-quality dried apricots
A bowl of very hot water
1 cup beef stock or bouillon
A heavy covered saucepan
Big pinch allspice
Soak apricots for 10 to 15 minutes until somewhat softened. Drain, and simmer slowly in bouillon with allspice until just tender enough to eat (not mushy). Drain, reserving any liquid for your final sauce. Cut apricots into ¾-inch pieces and add to mixing bowl.
A rubber spatula
¼ tsp each: ground fennel seeds, thyme, and oregano
⅛ tsp ground imported bay leaf
⅛ tsp white pepper
Salt
Gradually blend the cooked rice into the mixing bowl, turning gently with the rest of the ingredients and the herbs and seasonings listed here. Taste very critically for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, and herbs if you think them necessary.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Stuffing may be made a day in advance; cover and refrigerate.
3) Stuffing the pig
2 tsp salt
⅛ tsp white pepper
6 to 8 skewers or finishing nails about 3 inches long
White string
Aluminum foil
Turn the pig on its back, and season cavity with salt and pepper. Spread in the stuffing, filling the cavity completely but not forcing it. (Reserve any extra stuffing; cook separately, in a covered dish.) Close cavity with skewers and lace them in place with string. If there is a slit under the chin, season with salt and pepper, but it need not be closed. Crumple foil into a ball 2 to 2½ inches in diameter, force pig’s jaws open, and insert ball to keep them open.
4) Into the roasting pan
½ cup or more olive oil or cooking oil in a small pan
A basting brush
A shallow roasting pan at least 20 inches long with rack
More skewers and string if needed
Aluminum foil
Optional but recommended: a meat thermometer
Dry surface of pig again with paper towels, and paint pig all over with oil.
If pig will fit in a straight crouch in pan, skewer and tie hindlegs and forelegs in place to brace pig in position; let head rest between forelegs.
Or arrange pig in a less formal position, hind legs extended forward, and forelegs curled under.
If chin sticks out over lip of pan in either position, put a double thickness of foil under it so that roasting juices will drain back into pan. Insert balls of foil into the eye sockets; make tents of foil to cover the ears and protect them during roasting. To protect tail, tuck into rear opening. Insert meat thermometer into thickest portion of thigh, being sure its point is not touching any bone.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Although pig may be stuffed the day before roasting if both stuffing and pig have been chilled separately beforehand, you will have to leave the pig out at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before roasting or timing will be difficult and roasting may be uneven.
5) Roasting—oven preheated to 450 degrees; 3 to 3½ hours (2½ to 3 hours roasting plus a 30-minute rest)
The oil and the basting brush
1 cup roughly sliced onions
⅔ cup roughly sliced carrots
4 cloves of garlic, whole and unpeeled
Set pan with pig in lower-middle level of preheated 450-degree oven. In 15 minutes, rapidly brush entire surface of pig with oil. Roast 15 minutes more, baste again with oil, and turn thermostat down to 350 degrees.
Baste in 20 minutes. Twenty minutes later, after pig has roasted a little more than an hour in all, baste again, and strew the onions, carrots, and garlic cloves in the pan. Continue basting every 20 minutes or so, using fat in pan when oil is used up; basting helps the skin to crisp and brown nicely. In a total of 2½ to 3 hours, meat thermometer should have reached 180 to 185 degrees, the thigh meat should be tender when pressed, the legs should move in their sockets, and the pig is done. (Note that a chilled, stuffed pig may take up to 30 minutes longer to roast, as may a 14-pound pig.)
Pig must now rest 30 minutes before carving, so that meat juices will retreat back into tissues. Turn oven off and leave door ajar, letting pig remain warm.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Pig can wait a good hour before carving; when oven has cooled for 20 minutes, reset thermostat to 140 degrees and close the door (or reheat oven briefly every 10 minutes).
6) The sauce
The serving platter, tray, or board
2 cups veal stock or beef stock, or beef bouillon
1 cup dry port, Sercial Madeira, dry white wine, or dry white French vermouth
1 Tb dry mustard blended with 2 Tb of the stock or wine
A strainer set over a bowl or a saucepan
Salt and pepper
A warm sauce bowl
Lift pig, and drain its juices back into the roasting pan; set it on platter, remove foil, skewers, string, etc., and pluck end of tail from its hiding place. Remove rack, tilt pan, and spoon fat off roasting juices. Pour the stock or bouillon into the pan, and the wine; beat in the mustard mixture, and bring to the simmer, scraping coagulated roasting juices into liquid. Simmer slowly for 10 to 15 minutes while pig is being carved. (You may wish to scrape all of this liquid into a saucepan rather than simmering in the roasting pan.) When you are ready to serve, pour accumulated carving juices into sauce, and strain sauce into bowl or pan, pressing juices out of vegetables. Skim off any surface fat, carefully correct seasoning, and pour sauce into warm bowl for serving.
7) Decorations and presentation
Decorate the platter with leaves, and flowers or fruit, placing a garland of flowers around the pig’s neck, if you wish. Stick flowers in the eyes, and replace the ball of foil in its mouth with a shining red apple or a tangerine. (Orange blossoms, shiny green leaves, and yellow zinnias, for instance, are very attractive; at Christmastime, holly, cranberries, and white daisies would be appropriate.) Bring the pig to the table or parade it around the room, so that everyone may enjoy its splendor. Although you ma
y carve at the table, we suggest the seclusion of the kitchen unless an expert in suckling pigs is among the party.
8) Carving and serving
Provide yourself with 1 or 2 very sharp carving knives, a carving or kitchen fork, a big spoon, and a large pair of kitchen shears or poultry shears; an electric carving knife can be helpful in making the first cuts in the skin. We suggest you carve and serve one side, and return to the kitchen to carve the second side of the pig. Arrange it attractively again for the second serving at the table.
First, slit the skin the length of the backbone, using an electric carving knife if you have one. Then cut around skin where you feel the outline of the shoulder; lift off shoulder and foreleg portion. Do the same for the hind leg. Divide both into serving pieces, and set aside.
This drawing illustrates what you will find when you take your knife and cut down along the backbone and ribs to remove flesh and skin. Most of the meat is against the upper part of the ribs, and at the loin (from rump to ribs).
Between meat and skin will be a layer of fat, more or less of it according to the age and size of the pig. Remove meat from fat, and carve meat into serving portions. Scrape fat from skin, and cut skin into serving strips about 1 inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long. (Shears would be useful here.)
Pull out the exposed rib bones, which will come loose easily. Spread part of stuffing out from cavity of pig, arrange the meat over the stuffing, and cover with strips of skin. If you have chosen brussels sprouts, broccoli, or other decorative vegetables, arrange them attractively around the meat. Redecorate platter with leaves and flowers as necessary, and serve the pig along with its sauce. (The other side of the pig will stay warm for second servings because the skin holds in the heat.)
BEEF, VEAL, PORK, AND LAMB TONGUES
Langues de Boeuf, de Veau, de Porc, et de Mouton
A beautiful beef tongue braising in aromatic sauce smells so good while it is cooking, looks so splendid when you bring it to the table, and makes such a welcome change from the usual fare in main-course dishes that you need have no hesitation at all in serving it for company. Half the price of beef, tongue is all solid meat and therefore something well worth adding to your culinary repertoire. Because beef tongue has the best flavor and texture, we shall concentrate on that; pork, veal, and lamb tongues, which are treated in the same general way, are taken up at the end of this section.
NOTES ON FRESH TONGUE
Fresh beef tongue is perishable: it has a total refrigerated life of only about 8 days. Because it is already several days old when it reaches your market, you should plan to soak and salt it, or boil it, within a day of bringing it home. Because it is perishable, tongue is often smoked or pickled (corned) to preserve it longer, or it may be frozen. Although smoked and pickled tongue may be cooked like fresh tongue, we prefer the taste of fresh tongue, and have so geared our recipes.
HOW TO PREPARE A BEEF TONGUE FOR COOKING—FRESH OR FROZEN
To freshen the tongue, first scrub it with a vegetable brush under warm running water, then let it soak for 2 to 3 hours in a sinkful of cold water. Drain and dry it. (If tongue has been frozen, let it thaw in the cold water, then scrub it, and soak it an hour more.)
Optional salting
To improve flavor and tenderness, as well as to preserve the tongue for several days before cooking, you may salt it. To do so, find an enameled bowl or casserole that will just hold the tongue comfortably, spread a ¼-inch layer of coarse (Kosher) salt in the bottom, and lay the soaked and dried tongue on top. Cover tongue with a ¼-inch layer of salt, and place waxed paper on top. Weight down with a plate and 5 pounds of canned food, for instance, or parts of a meat grinder. Refrigerate at least overnight, but 2 days will have more effect. When you are ready to cook the tongue, wash off the salt. (If you salt the tongue longer than 2 days, soak for 2 to 3 hours in cold water to remove excess salt.)
A NOTE ON COOKING METHODS
Tongue may be either boiled—meaning, of course, simmered slowly—or braised. When it is braised it receives a preliminary boiling until it is ⅔ cooked (2 hours for a 4-pound tongue); it is then peeled, and either braised whole or braised in slices. Whether the tongue is boiled until tender or boiled until ready to peel, the boiling method is the same and so is the peeling. We therefore give directions for each, and follow with recipes, sauces, and serving suggestions for both boiled and braised tongue.
BOILING THE TONGUE—A PRELIMINARY TO BRAISING OR A COMPLETE COOKING
When you are boiling the tongue until tender, you will need aromatic vegetables and herbs to flavor it. Even better would be your decision to make the simple meat stock in Volume I, page 107, or the pot au feu, and let the tongue simmer along in the same kettle, where it will pick up even finer flavor. Tongue that will finish its cooking in a braising stock needs only salted water for this preliminary boiling.
A fully trimmed fresh beef tongue weighing 3¼ to 4 lbs.
A kettle of cold water just large enough to hold tongue easily
If tongue was not macerated in salt: 1½ tsp salt per quart of water
If tongue is to be boiled until tender:
2 cups each of sliced carrots and onions
1 cup sliced celery
A large herb bouquet: 8 parsley sprigs, 1 tsp thyme, 2 imported bay leaves, 4 allspice berries, and 2 unpeeled cloves of garlic, all tied in washed cheesecloth
A cover for the kettle
Prepare the tongue for cooking as described in the preceding pages. Place in kettle, being sure that water covers tongue by 5 inches. (If tongue was not salted, measure water in quarts, adding salt accordingly.) Bring to the simmer; skim off grayish scum for 5 minutes or more, until it ceases to rise. Add vegetables and herb bouquet if you are using them. Set cover askew over kettle, for slight air circulation, and maintain liquid at a slow simmer. If tongue is to be braised, simmer it for 2 hours only. If tongue is to be cooked completely, simmer 3 to 3½ hours or until meat is tender when pierced with a knife. Remove tongue from kettle and proceed immediately to the peeling, next paragraph.
Peeling the tongue
Remove tongue from kettle and plunge it into a basin or sinkful of cold water. As soon as it is cool enough to handle (it should still be warm), slit the nubbly skin-covering all around the top circumference of the tongue. Using your fingers, and a knife if you need one, peel the top surface of the tongue; skin should come off quite easily. The skin on the underside will usually adhere to the meat; make lengthwise slits and remove strips of skin with a knife. Trim any fatty parts and loose bits off the thick underside of the tongue, and pull out any bones that may be buried in the butt end. The tongue is now ready either for braising, if it simmered only 2 hours, or for saucing and serving if it is fully cooked.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: If you are not ready to serve a fully cooked tongue, return it to the kettle and remove kettle from heat; tongue will stay warm and retain its juiciness. For tongue that is to be braised, let it cool, then wrap airtight and refrigerate it; you may finish the cooking a day or two later.
LANGUE DE BOEUF, À L’AIGRE-DOUCE
[Boiled Beef Tongue with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce, Pearl Onions, and Raisins]
Because plain boiled tongue is so supremely easy to do, you owe something rather special in the way of a sauce both to the tongue and to those who are about to eat it. Brown sweet-and-sour sauce with pearl onions and raisins is a delicious solution, and more than a dozen other possibilities are listed at the end of the recipe. Accompany the dish with buttered peas or asparagus tips, a purée of chestnuts or mashed potatoes, or French bread, and a red Bordeaux wine.
For 6 to 8 people
1) Boiling the tongue—2 hours of soaking; 3 to 3⅓ hours of boiling
A fully trimmed fresh beef tongue weighing about 4 lbs.
Scrub, soak, and, if you wish, salt the tongue; simmer 3 to 3½ hours until tender, and peel it, as described in the preceding pages. While tongue is cooking, or at any other convenient time beforehand, prepare the followi
ng sauce and garniture.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: If you are not ready to serve the tongue, keep it warm, reheating it if necessary, in its cooking liquid.
2) Brown mustard sauce with pearl onions and raisins—for 2 cups mirepoix:
For ⅔ cup
3 Tb finely minced onions
3 Tb finely minced carrots
2 Tb finely minced celery
1 Tb finely minced boiled ham
2 Tb butter
A heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan with cover
3 cups (10 ounces; 40 to 50) small white pearl onions about ¾ inch in diameter
A pan of boiling water
Cook the diced vegetables and ham slowly in the butter for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender and just starting to brown. While mirepoix is cooking, drop onions into boiling water, and boil 1 minute to loosen skins; drain, shave off 2 ends, slip off peel, and pierce a cross in the root end of each; set aside.
1 cup dry white wine or ⅔ cup dry white French vermouth