SERVES 4
Veal tongue is a traditional part of the Spanish country kitchen, and prepared in a wide variety of regional ways. In the Basque country, for instance, you can find it with walnuts or in a sauce with a bit of apple. I learned this exquisite preparation in the Balearic Islands. The base of the sauce—stewed onions, carrots, and tomatoes—is almost sweet, and offers an ideal contrast to the pungency of capers. Capers grow abundantly in Menorca and Mallorca, often wild in the rockeries near the sea. Serve with potatoes—either fried (see page 132) or puréed (see page 117).
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Rinse the tongue and add it to the water along with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Boil for 1½> to 2 hours, or until tender—the tines of a fork should pierce it easily. Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin and discard. Trim away the fat, gristle, and any tough sections at the root end.
2. In a cazuela or heavy casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat and prepare a sofrito: Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the carrot and garlic and cook until they have softened and turned a yellowish orange color, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook until pulpy, about 10 minutes, adding water from time to time to keep moist. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the carrot is very tender and the sauce has concentrated, about 15 minutes.
3. Pass the sauce through a food mill and return it to the cazuela. The sauce should be very loose. Add water if needed. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the flour, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Cut the tongue crosswise into ¼-inch-/½>-cm-thick slices. Cut the slices at the base in half again, so that the pieces are roughly the same size.
5. Lay the tongue in the sauce and turn over to coat. Add 2 tablespoons of the capers, cover the pan, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the tongue pieces are hot. Scatter the remaining capers over the top. Serve immediately.