is italian, translates to “mother in law’s tongue” and describes a very thin, crispy, crackerlike thing shaped like… a tongue. They’re traditionally made yeast, but I found them a good way to get rid of some old(ish) lievito madre in style. I didn’t develop the recipe, I found it in a magazine a few years back, but I’m not sure who is responsible for it. I made a few changes to the original, so it shouldn’t matter too much.

The lingue di suocera are great with salads or a dip, but also something very yummy to nibble on while enjoying a glass of wine on the porch.

I had a lot of of lievito to deal with, so I baked a big batch and got 38 “tongues”. Feel free to start with half the recipe.

You need:

• 300g old(ish) lievito madre
• 250g water
• 60g olive oil
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 2 Tbsp dried, italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, or use a pizza spice mix)
• 10g salt
• (pinch of baking soda – to cut any sourness if the lievito is very old)
• 500g all purpose flour

Dissolve the lievito in the water, add the olive oil, then mix the flour with the herbs, garlic and salt (and baking soda) and mix it all into the liquid. Knead until you have a smooth dough, windowpane test is not necessary.

Cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour, then give it a quick knead and roll it into a sausage (or two, depending on your counter space). You shouldn’t need any flour to work with it.

Chop off pieces that are roughly 30g, about the size of a big walnut. Roll them into balls, then press them flat.

Roll them out into lengths of 1-2mm thickness. You can certainly use a rolling pin, I like to use my pasta machine, first on level 2, then on level 4. According to the manufacturer that’s 1.8 mm.

Place the tongues on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush them with a bit of olive oil. I needed a bit more than a tablespoon for all 38. Now you can sprinkle them with a bit more of the dried herbs or very sparingly with salt flakes.

Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 200°C (390F) for about 12-14 minutes. Watch them closely. They shouldn’t brown too much, or they turn bitter. If in doubt, turn the oven down a bit.

Let the tonuges cool on a rack and enjoy them with a dip, some salsa, a bowl of soup or salad, or just plain with a glass of wine or beer. They keep in an airtight container for a while, but I guess that shouldn’t be an issue with how quickly they disappear.

Today’s playlist was a mix of streams. It’s Wacken weekend as I’m writing this and since I can’t go, I have to peek at the concerts another way.