Pressed Beef Tongue Salad with Pears, Celery Root and Parmesan

Yield:  12 servings

Preparation time is 3 days

Ingredients

• 3 kilograms salted ox or beef Tongue (4 to 6 pounds)
• 2 carrots, halved
• 2 onions, halved
• 1 celery Stick, cut into chunks
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bouquet Garni
• 8-10 Peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• parsley stalks
• 2 tablespoons port
• 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
• 6 large handfuls arugula or mesclun mix
• 3 pears
• 1 medium-sized celery root
• ½ lemon
• 8 ounces Parmesan cheese (250 grams)

For the dressing:

• 1 cup olive oil (250 millilitres)
• 1 tablespoon honey (15 millilitres)
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard (30 millilitres)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (70 millilitres)

Directions

1. Soak the ox tongue in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water occasionally. Wash and drain the tongue.
2. Place the tongue into a large saucepan with the carrots, garlic, onion, celery, peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley stalks and bouquet garni. Cover with water, bring to the boil and skim the surface as needed. Cover and simmer gently for 4 hours, or until soft when a skewer is inserted into the middle and the small bones at the base can be easily pulled out.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the tongue to cool in the liquid. When the liquid is cold, remove the tongue, drain and transfer it to a board. Keep at least 10 fluid ounces of the cooking liquid. Remove the skin by slitting down the middle of it and trim the root to remove any gristle or bones.
4. Roll the tongue to fit into a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin It should be a tight fit. Boil the port briskly in a small pan to reduce it and concentrate the flavour. Now sprinkle the gelatine into a little cold water in a cup and melt it over simmering water until absolutely clear. Now strain off 10 fl oz (275 ml) of the cooking liquid, strain the gelatine into it and lastly add the port. Pour the mixture over the tongue.
5. Cover the tongue with a plate, stand a heavy weight on top to press it. Leave in a cool place for 12 hours. Run a knife around the edge to free the tongue.
6. Peel the pears and grate them on the coarse side of a hand grater. Do the same with the celery root. Put aside in separate bowls and squeeze a little lemon juice over them to prevent them going brown. Slice the tongue very thinly. Divide the arugula between six plates and do the same with the grated pear and celery root. Lay the tongue on top and shave the Parmesan cheese on top of this.
7. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing with a fork and drizzle it over the top of the salad.