The Splendid Table's Stump the Cook: Can you be stumped by these ingredients?

cool

Don't be afraid to take a swing at it, Lora.

Everything but the lamb's tongue sounds good. I don't eat that kind of thing.

Well, I don't like to change the rules (since the show outlined 'em and all) but if you ditch the lamb's tongue, WS R, I won't tattle to Lynne ;-)

interesting, I probably couldn't stomach teh lamb tongues though!

I wouldn't make anything with lamb's tongues. I've eaten cow tongue and I think it's nasty. The rest of the ingredients would make a lovely vegetarian pasta dish, though. I would definitely need some butter, garlic and parmesean cheese too, though.

It is the kicker ingredient, isn't it Dani?

Susan, you like rice noodles?

Forget it I won't eat tongues

You could make people wear the lamb's tongues as party favors and then make a nice Thai curry out of the rest of the ingredients. Curry Paste, garlic, and olive oil.

Haven't eaten tongue since I was a kid. My grandmother made it all the time. I think it has to be stewed or cooked some other way with moist heat.

How about a cold lamb tongue salad. Do whatever you need to do to cook the tongue and put it in the reefer over night. Next day cut it into bite sized thin slices and put them on a salad with lettuce, the other required ingredients and a vinagrette dressing. I think the rules even allow the use of dry or prepared mustard in the vinagrette.

Oh, I guess you have to cook the noodles. :)

Frick has a good idea. Is curry paste something most people have in their kitchen?

i'd ditch the lamb's tongue (gross)

make a thai dish using the other ingredients, and sprinkle fresh basil on top. yum!!

nippy - who DOESN'T have curry paste in their kitchen?

We have a couple of different curry powders, turmeric, cumin, several kinds of red pepper, coriander but no curry paste. I guess if you can get it in the Twin Cities you can get it anywhere. They probably have it at Safeway. There are two Indian groceries within two miles of my house. It's really cool because you can buy immense quantities of spices for next to nothing. I think I use the cumin more for Mexican food. :)

Oops, sorry. You're not in the Twin Cities.

I wanna eat at Nippy's. It doesn't matter whats on the menu as long as its put in the reefer first...then who the heck cares?

Cool Thai Cobb Salad

Boil lamb's tongue in salted water. Peel and remove gristle. Drizzle with sesame oil, slice thinly, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Break up rice noodle by snapping into thirds. Prepare rice noodles. Toss with sesame oil, pepper, and fish sauce (1).

Roast peppers over gas flame to char. Cover with plastic, let cool, and peel. Chop into strips. Chill. Retain juices.

Cut tomatoes into wedges. Toss with sesame oil. Chill. Retain any juices.

Rough chop mushrooms. Quickly pan sear in some sesame oil. Chill.

Thinly slice some asian eggplant (2) and sear in same pan. Chill.

Deglaze pan with fish sauce (1). Retain liquid.

Whisk together some semsame oil, deglazed pan liquid, roasted pepper liquid, tomato juice, salt, pepper, and a little water.

Arrange microgreens (3) on plates. In strips over lettuce arrange peppers, eggplant, noodles, tongue, and tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

wow...this is going to take some thought! BUT I like the ingredients!

I might (?) be able to eat the lamb's tongue if prepared like John M. detailed above.... I say might because I recently tried beef tongue and it was all I could do to swallow and not insult the chef.

I love challenges, but I know I would not eat tongue again...

I don't know anything about what lamb tongues taste like...so this is hard!

From what I recall the prep for lamb tongues requires some trimming of a tough outer layer. I'm thinking of boiling the tongues and then a small dice. Haven't thought through the rest of it yet. Maybe a terrine arrangement would work.

I could handle the lamb's tongue OK. It's the Thai noodles I that would never make it into a recipe at my house.

I like lamb and I've enjoyed beef tongue, so what's not to like about lamb tongue? My issue is with tomatoes; they can kill me in the amount of time it takes my throat to swell up and stop all breathing. If I make this dish for somebody else, the tomatoes are what prevent my partaking.


3 other ingredients:

Rice vinegar
Chopped peanuts
Cilantro

Thai Style Lamb Tongue Salad

Thai rice noodles, prepared according to package directions and tossed with sesame oil, rice vinegar, chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro

Skin tongues and remove any tough membranes. Place in simmering water and simmer until medium rare; do not allow to bol or they may toughen. Allow to cool enough to handle, then slice thinly nd cut into ribbons.

Blanch, peel and deseed tomatoes; cut into strips. Fry peppers in peanut oil, deseed and cut into strips; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slice mushrooms and sauté in peanut oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together dark sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper to make dressing.


Mound the rice noodles on a deep, round platter and surround with whole sprigs of cilantro. Artistically arrange the other four ingredients on top. Drizzle all with sesame oil dressing and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro.

okay..I am gonna take a quick stab at it...
brine lamb tongue with pickling spices...chill...boil till done...cut away taste buds and such and shave very very thin

reserving some of the whole mushrooms other fresh ingredients for garnish..

make a mushroom garlic broth

make a heirloom tomatoe hot chili puree

and par cook the noodles
cut thin slices of the italian frying peppers
then crisp fry the noodles and the peppers

place the noodle & peppers centered in a lipped pasta plate
top with shaved lambs tongue
laddle shallow pool of mushroom broth around centered noodle pepper lamb display
and put the tomato hot chili puree in squeeze bottle and just before serving
swirl an appealing design about the centered lamb display in the broth

salt and pepper to taste throughout preparation
garnish with reserved fresh mushroom and veggies

Lamb Tongue Stir Fry

Extras: soy sauce, pea pods, blanched carrot

Sprinkle lamb tongue with soy sauce. Set aside. In a large wok drizzled with oil, stir fry peppers, pea pods and carrot. Remove and set aside. Add additional oil and stir fry tongue. Toss in peppers, the mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir fry another minute or so. Sprinkle all with soy sauce.

Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles according to package. Serve stir fry over noodles.


Not that I would ever eat this ;)

Something (like nearly every comment) tells me you're not alone, Richard B.

Frick that's not exactly my party favor style, but I like the rest of your suggestion!

Nippy Nippy Nippy that's an excellent idea, and we caught on to the whole "cooking the noodles" ;-) I'd like to think most people have access to curry, too. Cumin. Even the good stuff smells "off" to me.

Race you to Nippy's, donna f.

John M. that sounds wonderful, and you really broke down the steps. Dang, that's awesome! Nice flavor layering with using the fish sauce twice.

There are some inspiring ideas here, Susan

Sonia M.,, we've all been there, finishing something to be polite. Think you'll try it again after the memory fades?

That's aok, David it is easy to be stumped by that ingredient.

Garden Witch, there must be a story behind your nix on the Thai noodles! Please spill.

Dorine I like your take on the salad, and your ability to move around one of the ingredients (with GOOD reason!)

That sounds like a lovely presentation Lou Anne L.

You're a good sport, Shannon! And I love that you specified blanched carrots for the stir fry. Who here hasn't suffered a really hard carrot in an otherwise nice dish?

I don't have a problem with rice noodles. And I have a friend with a wheat allergy who is also a vegetarian, so I find cooking with them really helpful for her!