Beef Tongue Creole

Place tongue in a 5-quart kettle or Dutch oven. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then cover and simmer for about 3 hours or until tongue is very tender when pierced. Cool in broth, then lift out tongue and set aside.

Taste liquid, and if not too salty, reserve 1 cup; if too salty, discard all liquid. Remove and discard skin and tubes from tongue. Cut tongue into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

In a 3-quart pan over medium heat, melt butter. Blend in flour and cook, stirring, until bubbly. Gradually add reserved broth (or 1 cup water) and continue cooking and stirring until sauce boils and thickens.

Add tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and their liquid, parsley, onion, green pepper, celery, carrot, garlic, basil, Worcestershire, ketchup, sherry, pepper, caraway, thyme, oregano, and dill. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Arrange sliced tongue in a shallow 3-quart casserole or 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Spoon sauce over slices.

Bake, uncovered, in a 300 degrees F oven for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring several times, or until sauce is thickened.

Arrange tongue slices on a warm platter. Spoon some of the sauce over tongue. Pour remaining sauce in a bowl to pass at the table.