Born Lee Brown, Babs was well-known vocalist of the Bebop era, and a regular on the Chitlin Circuit. He is most notable for penning the song "Oop-Pop-A-Da", which was originally recorded and performed by his own band (Three Bips and a Bop), and later made famous by Dizzy Gillespe.
Babs Gonzales’ Meat Loaf Special
2 lb ground beef
2 large eggs
2 oz applesauce
1 c. bread crumbs
1 medium chopped onion
¼ c. chopped green bell pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 c. ketchup
1 c. chopped tomatoes
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly blend the mixture with your fingers. Add a small amount of milk if necessary to maintain moisture.
With a large spatula, transfer the meat into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Press down and form a small shallow indentation length-wise on top of the loaf.
Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the pan and pour off excess fat.
In a bowl, mix tomatoes with ketchup. Next, spread ketchup and tomato mixture in over the top of the loaf with most of it filling the indentation.
Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pour off excess fat.
Owned and operated by Edwin Smalls then by NBA legend, Wilt Chamberlain, this venue was one of the premier nightspots in Harlem during the late 1920s. It hosted mainly jazz performers such as Jimmy Smith, Babs Gonzales, King Curtis, and even Jimi Hendrix. Before it closed its doors in 1986, Small’s was considered one of the most successful, prestigious, and longest operating nightclubs in the history of Harlem ever owned by an African American.
Jimmy Smith’s Oxtail Stew
3 lbs oxtails (separated joints)
salt and pepper olive oil
2 c. red wine 1 large chopped carrot
1 yellow chopped onion 1 chopped celery stalk
3 whole cloves garlic (unpeeled) 1/2 c. beef stock
1 bay leaf pinch of thyme parsley 2 sliced turnips
2 sliced parsnips 2 sliced carrots
Rinse oxtails under cold running water then pat dry with heavy paper towels. Sprinkle the tails completely with salt and pepper.
In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat.
Add small batches of oxtails at a time, searing them in the hot pan on all sides until golden brown. Remove oxtails with tongs and transfer them to a bowl containing wine. Set aside.
Add chopped carrot, chopped onion, and celery to the pan. Cook the vegetables for about 5-7 minutes or until onions are clear. Add the oxtails with wine back to the pan. Add whole garlic cloves and beef stock. Stir briefly.
Add bay leaf, thyme, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 3 hours or until meat is fork tender. About an hour before the oxtails are done, preheat heat oven on 350°F.
Add sliced carrots, parsnips, turnips and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a roasting pan and sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 1 hour, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
When oxtails are tender, remove them from the liquid. Skim the fat off the top with a spoon, or a fat separator. Pour the cooking liquid through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press against the vegetable solids that are caught in the strainer. Discard the solids.
Return the liquid to the pan and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add in the oxtails, and add the roasted vegetables to the pan. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for about 30 minutes.
