Beef Brisket With Corn Kernels In Mushroom Sauce

My mom loved cooking lengua (ox tongue) in mushroom sauce.Though some people consider any dish with lengua exotic or unusual, back in the Philippines, it is a favorite to many Filipinos. Lengua Estofada (sometimes called Lengua Estofado), a dish of Hispanic origin, which is stewed ox tongue cooked in tomato sauce is the most common way of cooking lengua. I love it too but I love lengua in mushroom sauce more.

I remember last cooking it for Christmas Eve two years ago. "Ewww" was all I got from my daughters that's why I haven't cooked it since then. Yesterday was one of those days when I was terribly missing it. Because I know that my daughters won't be happy to see ox tongue on our table, I thought of substituting it with beef brisket.They actually love mushroom sauce & corn, it's just the texture of the lengua that they say bothers them, and of course, the thought that it's an animal tongue.

So, based from my mother's "Lengua with Corn Kernels in Mushroom Sauce" recipe, I cooked Beef Brisket with Corn Kernels in Mushroom Sauce for the first time. It was a hit I tell you! Rye loved it and Clarise & Cherlin both asked for a second serving, so I can say  they loved it too! My craving for my mom's lengua was satified! The beef brisket actually looked like lengua when covered with sauce. You'll just know it's not lengua the moment you bite it. But it was good...really good...and it made the four of us happy! :)

I'm sharing this on What's on the Menu Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Foodie Wednesday and Let's Do Brunch. 

Prep Time:~5 mins              Cook Time:~1 hour & 15 mins                Servings: 4-6       

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs beef brisket
• 1 whole onion, quartered
• 1 whole garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 Tbsp peppercorns
• 2 pcs bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp salt
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup fresh or canned corn kernels (I used fresh corn which I boiled with the beef.)
• 1 ½ cup beef broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pc. Knorr beef cube
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
• salt
• pepper

Procedure:

1. Place beef brisket in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add garlic, onion, peppercorns, bay leaves and 2 Tbsp salt. 

2. Bring to a boil, remove the scum as it rises, lower the heat and simmer until tender. (I added 2 pcs. of corn on the cob after removing all the scum. I boiled them for about 15 minute, tranferred them to a plate to cool down then scraped the kernels off the cob using a knife.) It usually takes at least an hour to cook beef brisket, sometimes longer. When the beef is tender, lift it out of the broth and cool.

2. Strain the broth and cool, then chill to remove any fat that hardens on the surface.

3. When the beef has cooled, slice into about ¼ inch slices. Set aside. (If you have enough time, chill for at least an hour to make slicing easier. Chilled meat, even when very tender does not crumble easily when cut.)

4. Make the sauce. In a saucepan, sauté corn kernels and beef cube until beef cube is melted.

5. Add beef broth, milk and cream of mushroom soup. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Cook for 3 minutes while stirring. Add dissolved cornstarch. Keep on stirring until thick.

6. Add sliced beef and gently cover with sauce. Cook just until slices of beef are heated through. Remove from heat.

7. Serve with steamed rice or mashed potatoes!