Veal Tongue in dolceforte

This excellent main course of veal tongue cooked in dolceforte is a traditional dish from Renaissance Florence.

Tongue in dolceforte is an old Tuscan recipe that also seems to have been prepared in the court at Paris in the time of Caterina de Medici, who took it with her from Florence together with salsa colla, which later became béchamel sauce, onion soup, ‘pezzole della nonna’ – the famous crépes, stuffed liver, various types of frittata (omelettes), and duck with aubergine..

1. Boil the tongue in salt water with 1 carrot, 1 onion and 1 stick of celery added. Cook for about 2 hours until well done.
2. Let it cool in its broth, then peel it and cut it into thick slices.
3. In a saucepan with extravirgin olive oil gently sauté 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery finely chopped, and sprinkle over them a tablespoon of flour.
4. In the meantime, prepare the “dolceforte” by mixing in a bowl a glass of vinegar, a glass of water, a teaspoon of sugar, the pine nuts and the chocolate in small pieces.
5. Put everything in the saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Mix together with the slices of tongue and cook until the sauce becomes creamy.
7. Let it cool and then warm it up before serving.

“Dolceforte”, more than a dish in itself should be considered an accompanying sauce, added to half cooked stewed game. At first, the sauce was made with just vinegar and honey, but in the Siena area, where “dolce e forte” has its origins, cavallucci (typical local biscuits), chopped up panforte, chocolate (instead of honey), chopped hazelnuts, sugar and raisins were added, all drenched in wine vinegar.

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