I actually managed to remember the source for this post — praise be — coming to you via Le Pigeon’s Gabriel Rucker. We’d watched the Nick Cage movie “Pig” and found out that he’d been given some training by Rucker…
…so it seemed a good idea to dig out one of his recipes and I chose this both for its liberal use of lardo, lard and pork tongues (naturally) but also because, as he says:
this is a dish with unapologetically Mexican flavors with a punch of pork flavor cut by brightly pickled radishes and poblano crema.
This quantity — they suggest — will feed between 4 to 6 people. As always, your mileage may very well vary…
I’ve added in a separate recipe for the crema & you’ll need to make it well in advance to give it time to properly ferment.
Ingredients:
250g. heavy whipping cream
15g. plain yogurt
10g. lime juice
5g. kosher salt
Preparation crema:
In a sealable container, mix the cream & yogurt together. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 36 to 48 hours, until it becomes very thick; the mixture won’t spoil on the counter, since the acid in the mix prevents the growth of the bacteria associated with dairy products. Stir in the salt & lime juice right at the end, just before serving.
Tongue
2 pork tongues, each about 375g
3 bay leaves
5g freshly ground black pepper
5g ground cumin
1 head garlic, halved
250ml dry white wine
250ml water
20g kosher salt
Lentils
40g lard or unsalted butter
½ yellow onion, diced
40g chopped sun-dried tomatoes
5g sambal chile paste
5g ground bay leaves
a pinch cayenne pepper
220g French green lentils
10g kosher salt
1ltr chicken stock
60ml cider vinegar
Neutral oil for brushing
12 thin slices lardo
1 lime
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
Pickled radish (boil up some cider vinegar, water, sugar, honey, oregano, salt & garlic, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt, then pour over the sliced radishes & leave to cool.)
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. To make the tongue, combine the pork tongues, bay leaves, pepper, cumin, garlic, wine, water, and salt in a small overproof dish. Cover and braise in the oven until the tongues are easily pierced with a paring knife, about 3½ hours. Remove the tongues from the liquid and discard the liquid. When the tongues are cool enough to handle, peel off the outer layer. Note: Pork tongue is a $#@% to peel. I know. Have patience and scrape rather than peel. Cut the tongues in half lengthwise and set aside.
3. To make the poblano:
Ingredients
1 poblano (or jalapeño) pepper, cut in half
125g. crema
1 glove garlic
1 green onion
1 handful cilantro
1/2 lime, juice and zest
Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down, then onto the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily “pinch” off. Then puree them & the other ingredients all together.
4. To make the lentils, in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium heat, melt the lard. Add the onion and sauté until aromatic, 4 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, sambal chile paste, ground bay leaves, and cayenne and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more. Add the lentils and salt and cook, stirring well, for 1 minute longer. Add the stock and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cook, stirring frequently to keep the lentils from scorching, until the lentils are very soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour. Don’t be alarmed if it seems like there is too much liquid in the pot as you are cooking the lentils. We are actually trying to overcook them to make them look and feel like refried beans. Remove the pan from the stove. The lentils will keep for 3 days covered in the refrigerator if need be.
4. Preheat a gas grill or prepare a charcoal grill for cooking over high heat. Brush the tongues with a neutral oil and place the pieces, cut side down, on the grill. Grill until nicely charred (we’re looking for deep grill marks here), about 3 minutes, and then flip and grill until soft and warmed through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the grill and top each tongue half with three slices of lardo. If necessary, reheat your lentils and place a large scoop in the centre of each plate. Top with the tongue. Give each tongue a scoop of poblano crema and scatter a few pickled radishes around. Squeeze lime juice over each plate and top with a sprig of cilantro.
