The Erie Cook Book Revisited: A Civil Tongue

Morgan Yezzi

As local home cook Morgan Yezzi works his way through the historic Erie Cook Book written in 1881, he finds himself tackling a taboo cut of meat for this month's recipe.

Hiya. We're making tongue. It's a bit of a jumpscare, but the grace of Laura Sterrett's 1881 Erie Cook Book is that a simple buttered toast recipe exists alongside a recipe for boiled tongue. Sustainable, economical, and flavorful, this recipe is an exercise in confronting the human condition; let your inner dialogue take over. Say, "If I can make chicken soup (or buttered toast), I can make a boiled tongue." My advice is to not be reluctant – the tongue is a very approachable cut. Purchase the tongue (available locally at Larry's Central Market), soak the tongue, take the dog for a walk, boil the tongue, slice the tongue, sear the tongue, share the tongue. A note on taste: deep flavor of tallow and Chuck roast with a wagyu texture. 

Glazed Tongue over Rice Viridis

Prep time: 4-24 hours

Servings: 8-10

Method(s): Boiling and searing

Vigorously scrub the tongue with a handful of kosher salt and then rinse it off. Place the 3.5 lb tongue in a lidded pot of cold, salted water and soak it overnight. When you are ready to cook, drain the soaking water. Into the same pot with the tongue, add 2 tablespoons salt, four sliced onions, 1 tablespoon peppercorns, six crushed garlic cloves, and one tied bunch of parsley. Top the pot off with 4 quarts of fresh water. Bring the pot to a boil for 5 minutes and then simmer on low for 4 hours until tender. After 4 hours, plunge the tongue into cold water and remove the white outer layer from the tongue. Chop off the fatty hunk of meat at the thickest part of the tongue and slice it into 1/2 inch pieces.

To Glaze: In a hot skillet, melt four tablespoons of salted butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Cook until slightly thickened and then lay the sliced pieces of tongue into the glaze. Cook on low to medium heat until a sear forms on the tongue.

Rice Viridis

2 cups short grain rice

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of white vinegar

1 cup of chopped parsley

Soak 2 cups of short grain rice in 4 cups of water for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before cooking, refresh the water and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then simmer with the lid ajar for 10-20 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of chopped parsley into the hot rice.