Beef Tongue Stew

 

Veronika in Boston: Spring Vegetables, Beef Tongue, and Banana Bread

I started with a salad. Arugula, roasted beets, avocado, caramelized onions, goat cheese. Simple ingredients, but the prep matters. The beets roasted until they're tender and sweet. The onions caramelized low and slow until they're jammy. Everything layered on a bed of peppery arugula.

Then came the primi - gluten-free pizzoccheri. For those who don't know, pizzoccheri is a traditional Northern Italian pasta made with buckwheat. Naturally gluten-free. Hearty. Earthy.

I cooked it with spring vegetables - snap peas, baby bok choy, mushrooms. Tossed everything in garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs. The buckwheat pasta has this nutty flavor that works PERFECTLY with spring vegetables. Light but satisfying.

The Main Event: Beef Tongue

Here's where I went bold. Beef tongue stew.

Not everyone's comfortable with tongue. But if you've never tried it, you're missing out. It's incredibly tender when cooked properly. Rich. Beefy. No gamey flavor at all.

I braised it for hours until it was fall-apart tender, then sliced it and plated it with roasted fingerling potatoes and broccolini. The sauce - reduced braising liquid with a touch of soy and mirin - coated everything.

Veronika took one bite. "This is SO tender."

Exactly.

The Surprise Dessert

Here's the beautiful part: Veronika brought banana bread. Not just any banana bread - Nicky's mom made it. Nicky is our friend, and her mom bakes REALLY good banana bread. Moist. Not too sweet. Perfectly spiced.

But I couldn't just serve it plain. I whipped up some coconut cream and dolloped it on top. That cold, slightly sweet cream with the warm, dense banana bread? Perfect ending.

We sat around the table - me, my wife, Veronika, the kids running around - and just talked. About food. About travel. About what we're all working on.

This is what I love about having Veronika visit. She GETS food. She appreciates the effort. The technique. The time it takes to braise tongue properly or caramelize onions slowly.

Good food brings people together. And when those people actually appreciate what you're doing? That's when cooking feels worth it.

Welcome to Boston, Vero.

Kion Coffee
 
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