Dersat el'sane, Algerian Spicy Beef Tongue

Ingredients

 * 1 beef tongue (boil in water for about 20 minutes, peel off the skin with a very sharp knife)
 * 3 tomatoes concassee
 * 2 red bell peppers chopped
 * 1 onion chopped
 * 2 carrots cut into rounds
 * 1 branch of celery chopped
 * 2 bay leaves
 * Optional herbs include thyme, basil, flat leaf parsely or coriander leaf.
 * Vineger or lemon juice, cumin, paprika and turmeric.
 * Salt and pepper
 * Olive oil

Directions
1. In a big pot saute the onions in olive oil for about 15 minutes over medium/low heat, add the carrots and celery season with salt cook for about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, peppers and the peeled tongue. Cover with water. Season with salt using a light hand. (The sauce will be reduced later so in this case you are not salting to taste until the reduction), bring to a boil and reduce heat to a very gentle simmer, add the bay leaves and cook for about 2 hours. Algerians tend to cook tongue to a very soft texture, if you like your tongue a little firmer, well then stop cooking it when it's done to your liking.

2. Remove the tongue from the broth when it's done. Pass the broth and the vegetables through a sieve or a food mill. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of spices, reduce the sauce by 2/3 at a gentle boil, taste for salt, adjust if necessary.

3. Slice the tongue as shown in the first plate and add it back to the broth, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and heat through. Adding vinegar about 5-10 minutes before a slow cooked soup or stew is done is a very common Maghrebi cooking trick. It brightens up the slow cook flavors.