“Omi took the thing in her eminent cook’s hands hefted it, and began to transfigure it partially. First it is scalded and the thick skin that sheathes it is removed without difficulty, liberating the delicate tenderness of the flesh…. Whereas for me there was only one tongue, which was that of the sacrifice and the butcher, meat itself whose soul dispersed itself in the hot and odorous air into millions of sounds could never be made into stew.” – The Names of Oran, Hélène Cixous

Yesterday’s bat is so yesterday, you don’t even need to think about the last post unless you missed it, think baby bats are cute, and are happy that it was rescued from drowning. Today, we move on to the rehash of the weekend’s dinners.

It’s always interesting when we present an offal dish, though truthfully, I don’t think of tongue as offal – I mean, it’s a muscle, not a gland, and if you don’t tell someone, they’re just going to think it’s some cut of regular meat. Which it is. The rest is just psychological. The really interesting part is that it’s rare that someone won’t give it a try, and this week was no exception – everyone tried it, and most finished it. So, what’s the new dish? Braised veal tongue (beef stock, white wine, wine vinegar, garlic, tomato, bay leaf, ginger, salt, peppercorns), sliced and lightly brushed with our spicy beet stem ají, accompanied by fermented brussels sprouts, black olive tapenade, boiled quail egg, roasted cherry tomatoes, julienne of rocoto peppers, chives, pecorino cheese, and a little more of the ají. Delicious and different!

Soupe au pistou – or, pesto soup, packed with vegetables and a little pasta.

A minor reworking of our new version of sudado, mostly just in presentation, and adding in some daikon to the julienned vegetables. Also concentrated the broth down even more than the last time. And, used corvina instead of chernia, a different member of the bass family.

Likewise, a reworking of the presentation of our duck ceviche, and added a little more spice to it, both in the reduced sauce and some scattered chilies atop.

And, our pear and almond tart with kumquats cooked down in bay leaf and cinnamon infused syrup.