Special Beef Tongue, Veracruz Style

LENGUA A LA VERACRUZANA.. Scrub tongue and simmer in 2 quarts water seasoned with 2 tablespoons salt, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves and vinegar. Cooking time is normally 3 to 4 hours. Allow to cool in its own cooking liquid. Remove from broth, peel and slice thinly. Reserve broth. Place sliced tongue in a bowl and pour 1 cup of its own cooking broth over it to keep it soft and moist. In a Dutch oven, heat oil and saute chopped onion for 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, garlic, 1 bay leaf, and the cop of tongue broth. Cook covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Season as needed. Prepare vegetables. Parboil peas and carrots for 3 minutes in salted water and drain. Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. Blanch potato cubes 3 to 4 minutes. Arrange drained tongue slices in large oblong baking pan, spoon peas and carrots over tongue, add potato cubes, and cover with tomato sauce. Cover dish with thick foil and bake in a 325 degrees oven for 20 minutes or until potatoes are done. Serve with steamed, buttered white rice, a green salad and hot French bread. Note: The pickled serranos that this recipe calls for are best served in a small bowl with their own pickling liquid. It is not a good idea to cook the Veracruz sauce with chiles of any kind in it. Also, though many recipes call for stuffed green olives and capers in this sauce, these two ingredients are definitely classified as luxury items and are optional. If you use pressure cooker in your household, by all means choose it to cook the tongue and follow pressure cooker booklet instructions; perhaps the size of the tongue will decide the cooking time. Cool pressure cooker under cold running water and test tongue for doneness; if not ready, return to cooker and try 10 or 15 more minutes. I normally cook a 2 1/2 3 pound tongue 45 minutes.