VEAL TONGUE SALAD

SERVES 6

30 MINUTES PREPARATION TIME

2 HOURS COOKING TIME

3 veal tongues

3 carrots, thickly sliced

3 brown onions, thickly sliced

2 celery stalks, thickly sliced

Bouquet garni

100 g (3½ oz/²/₃ cup) fresh shelled peas

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

1 tablespoon Melfor vinegar (see note )

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 sweet salad onions or bulb spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

4 tomatoes, seeded, thinly sliced

6 artichokes in oil, drained and thinly sliced

2 zucchini (courgettes), halved lengthways and thinly sliced

1 bunch of dill, leaves picked

THE TONGUES

Boil the tongues in a saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse well.

COOKING

Fill a saucepan with cold water. Add the tongue, carrot, brown onion, celery and bouquet garni. Cook over a low heat for 2 hours. The meat should be very tender. Remove the tongue from the saucepan, peel and discard the skin and cut the meat into thin slices. Transfer to a large bowl. Discard the cooking liquid and vegetables.

THE SALAD

Drop the peas into boiling salted water for 3 minutes and refresh immediately in cold water so they retain their colour. Drain then add to the meat. Whisk the mustard, Melfor vinegar and canola and olive oils in a bowl then season. Toss all of the ingredients together in the dressing and serve immediately.

NOTE

Melfor vinegar is a honey vinegar from the Alsace region of France. If not available from specialty suppliers, substitute with good-quality apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar.