Beef Tongue in Madeira Sauce

Beef Tongue in Madeira Sauce

I favor eating the whole cow (and not throwing away good parts of it). And sometimes you find true gems like this beef tongue recipe. It is very well known in Flanders (Belgium), where it was, until recent times, popular as a dish at a festive buffet. Some think that a beef tongue is one of the organ meats, but it is more muscle meat. The cooked tongue is tender, got a soft texture, and has a high-fat content.

I served the beef tongue with a savory French sauce with a bit of sweetness: Madeira sauce. A full flavor from the mushrooms, combined with a rich tomato sauce flavored with Madeira wine. This sauce combines wonderfully with the soft taste of the beef tongue. Very tasty!

And do you like a nice piece of meat for a special occasion? You might also like ham with Cumberland sauce, sirloin steak with red wine or duck breast with balsamic honey sauce!

What do you need for Boiled Beef Tongue with Madeira Sauce?

To prepare this Beef tongue in Madeira Sauce, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog.

Ingredients Braised Beef Tongue

• Beef tongue —The cow tongue (or ox tongue) is surprisingly tender muscle meat due to its high fat content. When cooked, the tongue meat has a mild taste. Considered a delicacy. It's very popular in Flanders. It can also be replaced by a veal tongue (which is somewhat smaller).
• Celery, onion, leek, and carrot—Seasonings of the broth.

Ingredients Madeira sauce

• Mushrooms—You can use white or chestnut mushrooms for this recipe. The latter is a bit firmer and has a nutty taste.
• Flour—To thicken the sauce slightly. By dusting the vegetables with flour and then lightly frying, you lose the raw flour taste, and you don't get any lumps in the sauce.
• Carrot, onion, tomatoes, and celery—Vegetables for flavoring the sauce.
• Thyme, bay leaf, and parsley—Herbs for flavoring the Madeira sauce.
• Tomato Paste—To deepen the flavor. But make sure you use it properly. To give it its delicious rich, and slightly sweet taste, you need to fry it for at least 2 minutes.
• Madeira—A Portuguese wine made on the island of Madeira. Among other things, a sweet taste with caramel, peach, and burnt sugar aromas. Often used as a dessert wine, but also used in cooking.
• Stock—Use the broth you get when stewing the beef tongue; it goes wonderfully with this recipe. But you can also use beef stock.

How to prepare Tongue in Madeira Wine Sauce

You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.

Prepare Braised Beef Tongue

1. Soak the beef tongue in salted cool water overnight. Add enough water; the meat must be about 1 inch (2.54 cm) under the water level. This will remove the impurities from the tongue. The next day, take the tongue out of the water and rinse it under running water. Fill a pan with cold water and salt. Place the beef tongue in this and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the tongue from the water and discard the water. Place the meat in a clean pan of fresh water.
2. Add the vegetables to the water and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and put a lid on the pan. Simmer for 3-4 hours until the tongue is cooked.
3. Remove the tongue from the broth and rinse under cold running water. Peel the tongue by removing the skin.
4. Pat the meat dry and cut it into thin slices about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) thick.

Make Homemade Madeira Sauce

1. Melt butter in the pan and add carrot, onion, celery slices, and tomato paste. Stir-fry for three minutes. Then add the flour and fry for another two minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf to the sauce. Also, add the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
3. Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms in the butter for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Pour the Madeira wine into the mushrooms and boil to evaporate the alcohol, about 2 minutes. Then turn the heat down.
4. Put the mixed vegetable sauce through a sieve, press everything well so that you catch the flavors, and add that to the mushrooms. Warm, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the slices of beef tongue with the Madeira sauce. Garnish with finely chopped parsley. This is delicious with mashed potatoes and stewed red cabbage.