Besides being an expert in bilingual-bicultural studies, UTSA professor emerita Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark makes a delicious homemade lengua with her own unique twist.
For those whoāve never had beef tongue, Clark said it not only makes for tender barbacoa, it is also enjoyed worldwide.
āIt can be high cuisine or it can be cuisine āde la casa,ā family eating,ā Clark said.
Being it is Hispanic Heritage Month, Clarkās colorful Mexican-style kitchen was the perfect setting to show just how easy it is to make ālengua,ā using āhoja santa,ā the āsacred leafā otherwise known as Mexican pepper leaf or rootbeer plant, which has a faint aroma similar to the popular soda.
Clark said ālenguaā was long considered āla comida de los pobres,ā a food that poor families could afford and who werenāt about to let anything go to waste.
Even so, she said, āThey were so creative and innovative.ā
Clarkās own recipe involves adding garlic cloves, bay leaves, pepper corn and salt, wrapping it in āoja santaā to impart its own mild flavor, and then aluminum foil, or just foil if āoja santaā isnāt available. Then itās into the crock pot. Remove the outer skin after itās cooked.
āCook it all night, get up in the morning and itās ready to go,ā Clark said. āItās actually very nutritious and it has a wonderful, smooth, smooth, delicate flavor.ā

She said the result is delicious barbacoa, perfect for breakfast tacos on the weekend, with plenty of pico de gallo, chopped onions and warm tortillas on the side.
Clark said itās also important to remember, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month, āIt reflects our history, how we were brought up and where we were brought up and what we like to eat.ā