Beef tongue in port wine sauce

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 large beef tongue(s), approx. 1.5 kg, cured
• 200 g carrot(s), roughly diced
• 200 g celery, roughly diced
• 200 g leek, roughly diced
• 200 g shallot(s), roughly diced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 150 g prunes, pickled in 50 ml Madeira for 1 hour
• 1.2 liters of vegetable broth
• 250 ml port wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp paprika paste, mild
• 1 tbsp peppercorns, colored, coarsely crushed
• 10 grains of allspice, coarsely crushed
• 10 juniper berry seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 10 minutes

Wash the cured tongue, pat dry, and sear on all sides in a roasting pan over medium heat. Place the browned tongue in an oven preheated to 150°C (300°F). Sauté the vegetables and garlic in the roasting pan. Once the vegetable mixture has turned a light brown, add the spices and pickled prunes and sear until a brown coating appears on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the port wine and let it reduce. Place the tongue on the bed of vegetables, add the stock, cover the roasting pan, and cook in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 3 hours. Remove the cooked tongue, remove the skin, place the tongue on a meat platter, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid through a sieve and thicken the sauce, if necessary, and adjust the seasoning. Cut the tongue into thin slices and serve with the sauce. Serve with any kind of vegetables, as well as potatoes, dumplings, or spaetzle.