Captain Kenealy’s 1899 recipe for moose ragout

Horace Kephart wrote once that he hated cooking, but he felt someone had to write a cookbook about outdoor cookery, so he did it. His Camp Cookery was published in 1910 by Outing Publishing Company.

I myself haven’t hunted moose in years, but since we’re in the late stages of moose hunting season and there may be cooks open to new recipes, I offer up the following not-so-new recipe from Kephart’s book, page 60 of the second edition, 1910. Kephart attributes the recipe to a Captain Kenealy, author of Yachting Wrinkles, Outing Publishing Co., 1899. I haven’t tried it on moose, but it sure works with beef, and it has a distinctly great-grandmotherly air to it. It was not uncommon to use sugar in dishes such as this, and Captain Kenealy suggests the use of the turnip, a root now generally neglected though luckily still obtainable at our local produce counter.

“Stewing is an admireable way of making palatable coarse and tough pieces of meat, but it requires the knack, like all other culinary processes. Have a hot fry-pan ready, cut the meat up into small squares and put it (without any dripping or fat) into the pan. Let it brown well, adding a small quantity of granulated sugar and sliced onions to taste. Cook until the onions are tender and well colored. Then empty the fry-pan into a stew-pan and add boiling water to cover the meat, and let it simmer gently for two or three hours. Flavor with salt, pepper, sweet herbs, curry powder or what you will. The result will be a savory dish of tender meat, called by the French a ragout. It is easy to prepare in this way. Do not boil it furiously as is sometimes done, or it will become tough. This dish may be thickened with browned flour, and vegetables may be added–turnips, carrots, celery, etc., cut into small pieces and browned with the meat. The sugar improves the flavor fastly. The only condiments actually necessary are pepper and salt. Other flavorings are luxuries.”

Thank you, Captain Kenealy. If someone has some moose to to spare, I’d give this a try to share. Bon appetit!

Incidentally, Camp Cookery is now available in a reprint edition from Algrove Publishing Ltd, 2003, ISBN 1-894572-71-8.