Turtle Soup

The "Queen" Cookery Books. No. 1. Soups · S. Beaty-Pownall · 1902
Source
The "Queen" Cookery Books. No. 1. Soups
Yield
1.5 – 2.0 quarts
Status
success · extracted 4 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (28)
For the soup base
To thicken the soup
To finish the soup
For the quick substitute soup
Instructions (19)
Preparing the turtle soup
  1. Soak half a pound of the sun-dried or preserved turtle in cold water for three days, changing the water frequently.
  2. Drain the turtle and put it in about two quarts of stock.
  3. Add two or three strips of celery, one carrot, one turnip, one leek, two bay leaves, two or three onions, a good bunch of herbs (containing thyme, parsley, green onions, lemon peel, sweet basil, and marjoram), two or three cloves, a small blade of mace, six peppercorns, and a Jamaica pepper tied up in muslin.
  4. Bring to a boil, then simmer steadily for ten or twelve hours until the meat is well swelled, adding more stock as it reduces.
  5. Strain off the stock, let it cool, remove all fat, clarify it, and strain through a clean cloth.
  6. For each quart of stock, mix one dessert spoonful of arrowroot very smoothly with a wineglassful of sherry.
  7. Bring the stock to a boil, add the arrowroot mixture, and stir until it boils again.
  8. Lift the cooked turtle out of the vegetables, cut it into inch squares, rinse in warm water, and add to the boiling soup.
  9. Add a tin of turtle fat to the soup and let it boil together for a few minutes.
  10. Flavor with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little coralline pepper.
  11. Add egg balls if liked.
  12. Serve with quartered lemon handed round.
Quick substitute soup
  1. Stir two good teaspoonfuls of arrowroot smoothly in two wineglassfuls of sherry.
  2. Add a few drops of lemon or lime juice and a dash of coralline pepper.
  3. Mix with a one pound tin or jar of preserved turtle, cut up rather small.
  4. Pour on two bottles of consommé Sildeen.
  5. Let it just boil up.
  6. Dissolve in it 1oz. of Mrs. A. B. Marshall's leaf gelatine.
  7. Serve.
Original Text · last edited 4 days ago
Turtle Soup.—This soup, made from the fresh turtle, is hardly likely to come within the ken of readers of this little book, but it is quite possible in these days to make a soup from the “sun-dried” or preserved turtle that will meet with much favour. This is to be bought in large semi-transparent flakes, rather uncomfortably suggestive, to the ordinary mind, of slabs of glue. It is, however, real turtle flesh, dried in the tropics and sent home in this desiccated shape. To prepare it; for one and a-half to two quarts of soup, take half a pound of the turtle, and soak this in cold water for three days, changing the water frequently; now drain and put it on in about two quarts of stock with (for this quantity), two or three strips of celery, one carrot, one turnip, one leek, two bay leaves, two or three onions, and a good bunch of herbs, containing besides the usual thyme, parsley, green onions, and piece of lemon peel, a blade or two each of sweet basil and marjoram; to this add two or three cloves, a small blade of mace, six black and white pepper corns, and a Jamaica pepper tied up in a bit of muslin; bring this all to the boil, then let it simmer steadily for ten or twelve hours till the meat is well swelled, adding more stock as that in the pan reduces. When the turtle is cooked strain off the stock, let it cool, take off all the fat, clarify it in the usual way, and strain off through a delicately clean cloth. Now for each quart take one dessert spoonful of best arrowroot, and mix this very smoothly with a wineglassful of sherry, then bring the stock to the boil, add in the arrowroot, and stir it all together till it boils again; now lift the turtle out of the vegetables, cut it into inch squares, rinse these in a little warm water, and add it to the boiling soup, together with a tin of turtle fat; let it boil together for a few minutes, then flavour it all with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little coralline pepper, and add, if liked, some egg balls (see recipe for this in mock turtle soup), and serve, with quartered lemon handed round. (This is Mrs. A. B. Marshall's recipe.) When in a hurry a very praiseworthy substitute for ordinary turtle soup may be made by using the “Sildeen” soup, mentioned above, thus: Stir two good teaspoonfuls of arrowroot smoothly in two wineglassfuls of sherry, add a few drops of lemon or lime juice, and a dash of coralline pepper, and mix it up with a one pound tin or jar of preserved turtle, cut up rather small; then pour on to it two bottles of consommé Sildeen, let it just boil up, dissolve in it 1oz. of Mrs. A. B. Marshall's leaf gelatine, and serve. The quality and purity of the gelatine used for this is a very important consideration.
Notes
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