When It’s Supper Time in Elephant Alley

It was dusk at the Long Beach Arena and the Tognis were setting a table in front of their trailer with candles and wine. Lightbulbs buzzed at the end of an extension cord. Nothing disturbed the quiet but an occasional trumpeting elephant.

The Togni family often eats outdoors when the circus finds itself in nice weather. In this particular case they were eating outdoors because the customized family dining truck with seating for up to 13 was having engine trouble back in Anaheim, where Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey had been playing the night before. The trailer, which the truck usually pulls behind it, has only a little fall-back kitchen and it’s too small to set a table in.

Flavio Togni, the circus’ principal animal trainer, had no problem with this. He relished sitting down to eat among the animal tents set up next to the Arena. “We’re eating in the aroma of the circus,” he said exultantly. “It’s wonderful!”

Let’s put it this way: If you like the scent of hay mingled with a wide palette of organic animal smells, there’s nothing better. Within a couple of hundred feet there were 16 elephants, 42 horses, a panther, a white rhino and quite a few more beasts.

Earlier in the day the animals had paraded through the streets of Long Beach, a circus tradition known as an “animal walk” that ends in a big public feed. The Tognis are Italian, so they feed their elephants tagliatelle.

“Instead of salt, we put sugar on it,” said Flavio, “and strawberry jam instead of tomato sauce. They love it.” Elephants pick up pasta the same way they pick up anything else, twisting and snaking their trunks around it. The feed table also held bushels of vegetables. For dessert, elephants favor fruit.

Circus people don’t tend to be food-oriented, but the Tognis are. They are the only Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey employees who don’t eat at the circus cafeteria. Their food truck has a nine-foot kitchen, and between acts the members of the family can be seen running in and out of it.

Dela Dos Santos, Flavio’s wife, finished up the cooking and came out of the trailer for a moment. “This is San Pellegrino,” she said, pouring some mineral water for everybody. “The best water in the world,” she added patriotically.

Flavio told some family history as the evening grew darker. In the late 19th Century his great-grandfather was a schoolteacher in Pesaro, a town on the Adriatic Sea. One day the circus passed through town, he fell in love with an acrobat named Cesira di Bianchi and joined her family’s circus, which eventually became the biggest in Italy.

The Togni family became big too. “There are a lot of Tognis,” Flavio observed, half to himself. The family circus, the first in Europe to adopt the American three-ring format with a big-top tent, makes its home base in Verona, where a dozen members of the Togni family are caring for the rest of its animals while Flavio and another dozen or so Tognis travel with Ringling-Barnum (which is at the Los Angeles Sports Arena through Sunday).

Dela popped out of the kitchen again. “I’m sorry this is so late,” she said. “We knew we were going to be in a place called Long Beach, so we thought it would be easy to buy fish.” She chortled and brought out the salt and pepper shakers. They were shaped like elephants, of course.

And then dinner was served. The family’s cooking is basically Veronese, with occasional dishes from Pesaro and elsewhere in northern Italy (the non-Italian elements in the family tend to succumb to the Italian--Flavio’s mother is German and his wife is Spanish, but the family eats Italian). It’s not avant-garde and certainly not spicy, but it is savory, and it is guaranteed to be what elephant trainers and horse handlers eat.

After a simple and oddly Continental shrimp cocktail in a sauce of mayonnaise, catsup and Cognac came a scallop appetizer with cream and white wine. It was unusual in containing garlic; the Tognis’ cooking tradition is sparing in its use of garlic and onions.

Then Linguine alla Marinara, a homey seafood version of this Italian classic that is a family heritage from Pesaro. Another family recipe is Bistecca di Manzo, a beefsteak dipped in pepper and herbs, very characteristic of the simple Italian way with grilling.

What’s for dessert? Like their elephants, the Tognis favor fruit.

ANTIPASTO FRUTTI DI MARE

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 pounds scallops

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup whipping cream

Salt, pepper

Chopped parsley

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute scallops until slightly cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove scallops from skillet. Add garlic, mustard, white wine and whipping cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Add scallops and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

LINGUINE ALLA MARINARA

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

5 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 pound mussels

1/2 pound clams

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 pound calamari (squid), cut in strips

1 pound linguine, cooked according to package directions

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and tomatoes in oil until onion is clear and tender, about 10 minutes. Add wine, butter, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Add mussels and clams and cook until shells open, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook just until they turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add calamari and simmer mixture 30 seconds to 1 minute. Mix with hot linguine and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

PENNE ALL’ARRABBIATA

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 ounces pancetta or bacon slices, cut in strips

1 (1-pound) can whole tomatoes

Salt, pepper

1 pound penne

Grated Parmesan cheese

Chopped fresh basil leaves

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and pancetta until brown. Add tomatoes and crush. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer covered, 20 minutes. Cook penne al dente. Drain and mix with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with basil. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Hot pepper sauce or red pepper flakes could be added to taste. Most recipes for penne all’arrabbiata are spicy, though the Togni family’s version is not.

BISTECCA DI MANZO

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 (8-ounce) sirloin steak

Salt

6 arugula leaves

1 large tomato, sliced

Mix pepper, oregano, sage and rosemary together in dish. Dip steak into seasonings to coat both sides. Broil or grill to desired doneness. Season to taste with salt. Serve on bed of arugula and garnish with tomato slices. Makes 1 to 2 servings.