Cold Pressed Ox Tongue is a traditional South African recipe for a classic Christmas meat dish of ox tongue that's slow simmered with vegetables and spices before being cooled and pressed with weights in a cake tin. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Cold Pressed Ox Tongue.
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This is the second of my three recipes on the South African Christmas classics of salt ox tongue, gammon and corned beef. Here I’m preparing the tongue in a traditional manner for cold pressing.
Ingredients:
2-3kg (4 ½-6 2/3 lbs) salted or brined ox tongue
2 carrots, halved
2 onions, halved
1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
1 cayenne chilli, split lengthways
½ tsp allspice berries
2 bay leaves
1 bouquet garni (thyme, bayleaf, parsley, lovage or celery leaf)
8-10 black peppercorns
Method:
Soak the ox tongue in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water occasional, wash and drain.
Place the tongue into a large saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil, skimming the surface clear as needed. Add all the remaining ingredients, return to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook gently for 4 hours, or until the meat is tender and any small bones at the base of the tongue can be pulled out readily.
Take off the heat then set aside and allow the tongue to cool naturally in the liquor. When the tongue has cooled enough to handle, but is still warm to the touch remove from the liquid and strain then transfer to a copping board. Using a sharp knife peel off the skin, trim the root of any cartilage and remove any bones. Roll the tongue tightly enough to fit into a 20cm (8 in) diameter cake tin (use a smaller tin if the fit is not tight. Cover the tongue with a plate then place a heavy weight on top.
Set aside to cool completely for 12 hours. To free the tongue, run a knife around the edge of the cake tin. Transfer to a serving plate then slice thinly and serve. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days and left-over slices can be frozen.
