Grain Free Alternative to A Traditional Rice Dish: Uzbek Plov Style Tongue Stew

Whenever my butcher in San Francisco, Oliver's Butchery has tongue, I buy it. He sources grass-fed and pastured raised meat and his cuts are amazing! He had a tongue drought for a couple weeks, but finally, last week I was able to grab one. As I've mentioned before, I love tongue and grew up eating it often. Lately, I've been enjoying using it in stews because of the rich yet delicate flavor the meat.

Another food that I grew up eating is Plov. Plov, also know as Pilaf in the US, is a rice dish with spices and vegetables native to Central and Eastern Asia. At my home, Plov was a version of the traditional Uzbek dish made with basmati rice, lamb, raisins, apricots, carrots, and onions and spiced with cumin seeds and barberries. My mom would often make a large pot of Plov and we would enjoy it for the whole week. A couple of years ago, the hubby's grad school roommate, who is from Uzbekistan, taught me how to make the real traditional stuff, omitting the sweet dried fruits my mother always added. After his tutorial, I made a pot of Plov for months.

Since becoming grain free several months ago I've been craving Plov, so I decided to make a stew with a similar flavor profile. You can't make a traditional Plov without cumin seeds. Cumin seeds help stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes which help with nutrient absorption and also help the stimulate the liver to flush out toxins. Cumin seeds are rich in iron and are believed to help alleviate symptoms of the common cold. They add a great spicy zing to the stew. Additionally, because I didn't have barberries, I used Sumac to flavor the dish. Sumac has a wonderful tangy sweet & sour flavor and has anti fungal and antimicrobial properties.

Uzbek Plov Style Tongue Stew

Ingredients
1 Grass-Fed Beef Tongue
2 tbsp ghee/coconut oil/tallow/duck fat
2 Onions
4 Carrots (I used purple carrots from my CSA)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp Spice House Powered Sumac
1 tbsp Bright Earth Foods Himalayan Salt
1/2 cup sprouted lentils
1 bunch of kale

Process
1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in dutch oven and add 2 onions (sliced)

2. Add 1/2 tbsp salt and cumin seed, saute for 8 minutes

3. Shred 4 carrots and add to pot

4. Add Sumac and stew for another 5 minutes

5. Add tongue to pot

6. Add 4 cups of water and lentils

7. Bring to boil

8. Let boil for for 5 minutes and then bring down to simmer on low heat

9. Cook overnight or for 8-10 hours (longer is your tongue is more than 1 lb)

10. Once tongue is cooked, remove from pot and peel off skin and cube

11. Put back into pot

12. Cut kale and add to pot

13. Cook for another 8 minutes

14. Enjoy!
 



 

Tongue Stew, Tongue Tacos and some Anti-Oxidant Cookies for Dessert

I currently have two contests going: one for a pair of Juil sandals and another for a box of spices from The Spice House. Use the links to enter!

As you've read in a number of my prior posts, I am no stranger to offal and absolutely love organ meats. Growing up, one of my favorite foods was beef tongue. My mom always made it from scratch for all special occasions and we all enjoyed it with a side of horseradish. Whenever I saw her prepare the dish, the work always seemed so daunting to me. Recently, on a trip to Boston, the hubby and I had the pleasure of dining at Enoteca Coppa, where the chef was recently voted "Best Chef in Boston" by Boston Magazine. At Coppa, I had the most amazing stew with beef tongue, tripe, and pork belly with garbanzo beans. It was so simple yet so rich and yummy! I had to try to replicate at home with some of my own twists.

Enoteca Coppa Beef Tongue, Tripe & Pork Belly Stew

Cow tongue contains a variety of B Vitamins, which means it's great for the nervous system and muscles. Garbanzo beans have more iron than other legumes and are high in folate, which is essential for heart and circulatory health. I also added some leafy greens to my stew for added goodness.

Beef Tongue & Garbanzo Stew with Greens
Ingredients:
1 grass-fed beef tongue
2 carrots diced
2 celery diced
1 large onion sliced
15-20 black peppercorns
1 tbsp Celtic Salt
4 bay leaves
3 tsp smoked paprika
3 cups of Garbanzo Beans (soaked overnight and left out to semi-sprout for one day)

Process:
1. Place all ingredients into Dutch Oven and bring to boil

2. Once at boil, reduce heat and cook overnight on lowest heat setting

3. The following day, once tongue has cooled, remove it from the pot and peel off skin

4. After skin is removed, chop tongue into one inch cubes (leave 2 cups of tongue for another recipe)

5. Place cubed tongue into the pot and bring back to boil

6. Add one bag of frozen greens

7. Mix ingredients until greens have defrosted

8. Enjoy!

Want to know what to do with the leftovers?? How about some semi-homemade Lengua Tacos!

Semi Home-Made Lengua Tacos (makes 4 tacos)
Ingredients:
2 cups of cubed tongue
2 Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas
1.5 cup Rethought Red Beans from the Better Bean Company

1/2 cup Mango-Salsa [Whole Foods] (if you are avoiding night-shades, otherwise any salsa will do)
1/2 avocado
2 tsp Pilsen Latino Seasoning
Cilantro springs for garnish

Process:
1. Take cubed tongue and dice it

2. Heat pan and put beans and tongue in pan and heat

3. Place tortillas on baking sheet and heat in oven for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees

4. Remove tortillas and place on a plate and scoop bean and tongue mixture
5. Mash avocado and mix with seasoning. Add to taco
6. Garnish with cilantro
7. Enjoy!

And finally, after all that tongue action, you're going to want some dessert. I adapted this recipe from Choosing Raw's awesome post, but wanted to make it grain-free. I also used ghee in my recipe instead of oil because I happen to love the caramel flavor it adds to baked goods. If you want a vegan version, then use coconut oil. Also, her recipe called for pumpkin puree, which I forgot to buy and so I substituted with a puree made from juice pulp and water. Finally, I'm allergic to chocolate, but you should feel free to add cocoa nibs.

Grain-Free Antioxidant Rich "Oatmeal" Cookies
(makes about 18-20 cookies)
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup amaranth flakes
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup chestnut flour
2 tbsp chia seeds (or Garden of Life Beyond Fiber) mixed with 1 tbsp water
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
Dash salt
1/3 – cup raw honey
1/3 cup ghee or coconut oil (melted)
2/3 cup juice pulp puree (mix juice pulp with water and blend until smooth)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup goji berries


Process:
1. Preheat oven on 350 degrees
2. Mix flakes, flours, chai seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl
3. In another bowl mix honey, ghee and puree
4. Add wet ingredients to dry
5. Add seeds and berries
6. Using a mixer or your hands mix well 
7. Place walnut size balls on a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or a sheet of unbleached parchment paper and press on balls until they are flat circles
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes
9. Cookies will have a soft texture vs. crunchy
10. Enjoy!