Beef Tongue a la King Pot Pie

The beef tongue is slow cooked, cooled, peeled and cubed then cooked chicken a la king style. Pie crust is laid over it and baked. Beef tongue a la king pot pie is Christmas perfect.

Yes, there is a pastel de lengua recipe in the archive. Well, was. And although we loved that recipe for years, well… you know, cooks get better over the years and I strongly feel that the old recipe pales in comparison. Cooking beef tongue like chicken a la king is really one of the best things I have ever done with this beloved organ meat.

This is a single crust pie. But only because we had excess pie crust in the fridge that was just enough to make a circle to cover the pie dish. If we had more, I’d have baked this into a double crust pot pie. 

I cooked this beef tongue a la king pot pie over two days. Not because it’s terribly complicated to make but because the beef tongue was in the slow cooker for about eight hours. I cooked it on day one, cooled it overnight and made the pie the following day.

The fact that the preparation can be split into two segments makes it a convenient dish to make for the holidays. Cook the tongue, cool, wrap and stick in the fridge for up to three days ahead.

Another added convenience is that it is so much easier to cut the tender meat when chilled so you don’t have to worry that the beef tongue cubes will fall apart and lose their shape when tossed in hot butter.

Now, a common concern of cooks prepping for the holidays… How many people can one beef tongue feed? That depends on the size of the beef tongue and the appetite of the people who will eat it, right?

Another factor is whether the beef tongue a la king pot pie is the only main dish you plan to serve. If it is, it is safe to assume that a 800-gram beef tongue (weight prior to cooking) will be enough to make four hearty portions.

Only four people? There is plenty of shrinkage during cooking, you see, and by the time beef tongue is tender, it won’t weigh anywhere near 800 grams. Plus, you have to peel off and discard the skin. So, consider all that when calculating how much beef tongue you’ll need to feed your expected number of holiday guests.

Beef Tongue a la King Pot Pie

The following recipe is for a nine-inch single crust pie.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Cooling time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4 people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

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• ▢ 1 beef tongue - cooked, cooled and peeled (see notes after the recipe)
• ▢ 250 grams fresh button mushrooms
• ▢ 4 bell peppers - any color but a combination yields better visual results
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 6 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 4 tablespoons flour
• ▢ salt
• ▢ pepper
• ▢ 2 cups bone broth
• ▢ 1 generous splash sweet rice wine - (optional)
• ▢ 1 pinch nutmeg
• ▢ 1 cup cream
• ▢ 1/2 recipe basic pie crust - (see notes after the recipe)
• ▢ 1 egg - beaten

Instructions

• Cut the beef tongue into one-inch cubes.
• Cut the mushrooms into quarters (or into eighths if they are large).
• Deseed and dice the bell peppers.
• Peel and roughly chop the onion.
• Heat the butter in a pan. 
• Sprinkle the flour over the beef cubes and toss to coat each piece well.
• Brown the floured beef tongue cubes in the hot butter.
• Add the mushrooms, bell peppers and onion. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about three minutes.
• Pour in the bone broth slowly, stirring as you pour. Add the rice wine, if using. When the mixture is thickened and smooth, taste and add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
• With the heat at the lowest setting, stir in the cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed.
• Cool the beef tongue a la king to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Roll out the pie crust dough into 1/4-inch thickness.
• Pour the cooled beef tongue a king into a pie dish and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
• Cover the beef tongue a la king with the pie crust (see tip). Cut the excess dough; then press the dough against the rim of the baking dish (you may fold and tuck it in, if you wish).
• Brush the top of the pie crust with the beaten egg.
• Slit the crust in several places to create steam vents.
• Bake the beef tongue a la king pot pie at 375F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.
• Cool the pot pie for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cook’s Notes

The beef tongue in the recipe weight 800 grams prior to cooking.

See a visual guide for making and using pie crust.

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