Guisado De Lengua De Ternera

"The tongues are purchased the day before so they can be cooked, as they are tough; after being well cleaned and pounded against a grinding stone, they are boiled in very hot water, seasoned with the appropriate amount of salt, a bit of vinegar, some garlic cloves, a few whole peppercorns, and a small bundle of fine herbs, letting them boil until they are very tender; the next day, the sauce is prepared by slicing a garlic clove, plenty of onion, and chopping a bit of parsley and as much tomato as necessary so the sauce is not too thin; all the chopped ingredients are fried in a pan with lard, and once they have softened but not browned, a bit of the broth in which the tongues were cooked and the necessary amount of water are added, seasoning it with salt, ground pepper, ground clove, and cinnamon, a little cooking oil, and some vinegar to taste; once it has boiled, the sliced tongues are added and left over heat until well seasoned, adding a little toasted coriander seed just before removing from the heat."

The recipe, written in late 19th-century Spanish, uses a direct, conversational tone, assuming familiarity with kitchen processes and measures, and omitting many exact quantities, as was the custom. Instead, it gives trusted instructions like 'a manojito' (a small bunch) or 'el gitomate que sea necesario' (as much tomato as needed), leaving details to the cook’s judgement and experience. Definitions of 'yerbas finas' (fine herbs) or even 'remilla de culantro' (likely coriander seed) would have been locally understood. Spelling also reflects the period: 'gitomate' is an older regional variant still seen in Mexican Spanish for tomato ('jitomate'). This style relies on the oral tradition—less structured than modern recipes, but rich with implication and adaptable to available ingredients and tools.