Lengua Tacos

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Ingredients

  • 3 lbs beef tongues
  • 2 large onions, peeled
  • 1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon peppercorn
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 18 corn tortillas
  • 1 1/4 cups salsa verde
  • 4 avocados
  • 10 sprigs cilantro

Instructions

  1. Fill a large (12-quart if you have one) stock pot two-thirds full with water. Add the tongue, onions, crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 3 hours, until the tongue is soft to the touch and tender.
  2. Remove tongue from water and let cool for a couple of minutes. Notice the light colored skin-like covering over most of the tongue. Using your fingers, and/or a sharp small knife, remove this covering and discard. Notice the rough patch of meat where the tongue would attach to the bottom of the mouth. Arturo removes this patch (as does his mother when she prepares tongue) because it is a little rough. It's perfectly edible though, so keep it attached if you want.
  3. Slice the tongue in 1/4-inch slices. (If you are not preparing the whole tongue for tacos, you can return whatever tongue you do not slice to the cooking water to soak.) Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium high and saute the slices on both sides until they are lightly browned. Remove from pan and slice first into strips, then crosswise again so that you end up with small cubes.
  4. Soften tortillas either by cooking on the stove-top until pockets of air appear in them, or in the microwave (about 10 seconds per tortilla). Place a large spoonful of meat in the center of a tortilla. Add a spoonful of salsa verde and some chopped avocado, chopped fresh cilantro.

Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)

666 kcal 33% DV
Protein Fat Carbs

Macronutrients

Protein 13g 26% DV
Total Fat 44.2g 57% DV
Carbs 66.4g 24% DV
Fiber 14.1g 50% DV
Sugar 5.9g 12% DV

Electrolytes

Sodium 10637mg 100% DV
Potassium 1585.3mg 34% DV
Cholesterol 25.8mg 9% DV

Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamin A 365.5mcg 41% DV
Vitamin C 159.5mg 100% DV
Vitamin D 0.1mcg
Calcium 573mg 44% DV
Iron 23.2mg 100% DV

* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).

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