Some where over the course of
raising my children, this dish took on the name
“Elephant stew”. I had submitted
several recipes in the Laneview School Favorites Cookbook published to raise money
for school field trips in the 1970’s. One of the recipes was for Elephant Stew
which went like this:
1 Elephant, Chopped
72 gallons prepared Gravy
2 rabbits (optional.)
Cut elephant into bite size chucks. Cover with gravy and
slowly simmer two weeks. Serves 4600. If expecting more people, add the
rabbits. A word of caution, however, since some are rather put off to find an
unexpected hare in their stew.
Now I cannot remember where
the actual Elephant Stew recipe came from. I am sure I read it somewhere. My
daughter, who was only 4 at the time, overheard her brother say “his teacher
especially liked the recipe for Elephant Stew.” Since one of her favorites was
this oxtail stew, she made the leap that this must be the one. Here it is for
your pleasure: Elephant Stew in the Jungle. As your guests query “but where is
the elephant?” of course you answer in the Jungle.
3-5 Pounds
of oxtails (Have these quartered in the butcher's saw.)
1
Large diced yellow onion
3 Cloves
garlic
Beef
bullion granules as required (see text)
2
Finely diced small carrots
1 Stalk
of celery, finely diced
3 Tablespoons
olive oil
Crushed
red pepper flakes
1 Small
can of tomato paste
White
pepper
Black
pepper
6 Bay
leaves
1
1/2 cups of water
1 Cup
of white wine
1/2
cup of brandy
1 Cup
scotch
1 Tablespoon
sugar
Ground
coriander
Fresh
thyme
Fresh
sage
A
few sprigs of Italian parsley
Greens
from 2 scallions
1 Tablespoon
of minced fresh orange zest
Broil oxtails on high until
nicely brown, turn and repeat for the other side.
In large stock pot, add
onions, chopped celery, chopped carrots and sauté until the onions begin to
clear. Add browned oxtails. Add all other ingredients except scallions and
parsley is set aside for the garnish. The stew will be cook until tender about
3 1/2 hours. Cook with a lid for the
first hour. The remove the lid. It is desirable to reduce the liquid to enhance
the gravy. Caution needs to be exercised as a low liquid level could mean
burning. The stew should be monitored closely as the liquid evaporates and stirred.
If the bottom of the pot is thin walled, the risk of burning is higher; hence,
you will need to stir more often. When the liquid has reduced sufficiently, add
back the lid and place the pot in the oven at 350 F to finish cooking. The meat
is done when it can be easily forked off the bone. Correct the seasoning. Salt
will be added last in the form of granules of beef bouillon. Thicken the
remaining liquid with flour shaken through a sieve (or use gravy flour) and
stirred in. The gravy will not attain its thickest until it begins to boil so
add the flour in stages and bring to a boil each time. I optionally add 1
tablespoon of minced fresh orange zest. Serve over wide noodles, thicken with wonder flour.
Garnish with chopped Italian parsley
and chopped scallion greens sections cut diagonally into diamonds.
Notes:
1. For those
familiar with Roman food, this recipe is remarkably like Coda alla Vaccinara
the way the Romans prepare it. Undoubtedly when living in Rome, I had it on the menu as it was very
popular. My mother prepared oxtails in my youth and back then, few Americans
ate things like tail. Somewhere along the while, I discovered that Scotch and
Brandy made a much richer flavor.
In fact replacing all the water in this recipe with a good homemade beef stock
makes it more “over-the-top-good”.
2. To thicken the stew and to caramalize the meat faster, dredge the oxtails in flour. Flour is full of starch that will caramelize quickly and give a deeper color and flavor. You most often see this technique called for in stews, where flour is used to thicken the cooking liquid.