Cut the head off the turtle the day before you dress it, and drain the blood thoroughly from the body. Then cut it up in the following manner: Divide the back, belly, head and fins from the intestines and lean parts. Be careful not to cut the gall bag. Scald in boiling water to remove the skin and shell. Cut up in neat pieces and throw into cold water. Boil the back and belly in a little water long enough to extract the bones easily. If for a large company a leg of veal will also be required, and a slice of ham, which must be stewed with the lean parts till well browned; then add boiling water, and the liquor and bones of the boiled turtle. Season with sliced lemon, whole pepper, a bunch of parsley, two leeks sliced, and salt to taste. Let this all boil slowly for four hours then strain. Add the pieces of back, belly, head and fins (take the bones from the fins), pour in half a pint of Madeira wine and a quarter of a pound of good sweet butter, with a tablespoonful of flour worked in it; also, a lemon sliced thin. Let it boil gently for two hours, then serve.
In cutting up the turtle great care should be taken of the fat, which should be separated, cut up neatly, and stewed till tender in a little of the liquor, and put into the tureen when ready to serve. Garnish with the eggs, if any; if not, use hard-boiled eggs of fowls.
TURTLE SOUP NO. 2
Put on, at an early hour in the morning, eight pounds of beef or veal, one pound of ham or bacon, eight onions, with pepper, salt, and sweet herbs to taste. Make a rich soup of this, and add to it the liquor of a boiled turtle; season very high with wine, spice, cayenne, and catsup. Put in the flesh of the turtle, prepared as in recipe No. 1—do not use the eyes or tongue. Let this boil up till tender, and serve with force-meat balls in tureen. Curry powder will give a higher flavor to soups than spice.
PLAIN MOCK-TURTLE SOUP
Boil a calf’s-head until very tender; take out the head, strain the liquor, and skim off the fat when cold, and keep till following day. Cut up the meat of the head and brain, and add to the liquor; place over the fire, after seasoning to taste with pepper, salt, mace, cloves, sweet herbs, and onions. Let it stew an hour, then add a tumbler of white wine, and it is ready for the force-meat balls. For the balls, chop a pound of lean veal with half a pound of salt pork; add the brains of the calf’s-head, seasoned with pepper, salt, mace, cloves, sweet herbs, or curry powder. Make into balls the size of the yolk of an egg; boil part in the soup, fry the rest for a separate dish.
MOCK-TURTLE SOUP NO. 2
Put into a pot a knuckle of veal, two calf’s feet, two onions, a few cloves, pepper, allspice, mace and sweet herbs; cover them with water; tie a thick paper over the pot, or cover it close. Let it stew four hours. Remove from the fire and let it cool. When cold take off the fat very nicely, cut the meat and feet into bits an inch square, remove the bones and coarse parts; then place over the fire again to warm. Add a large spoonful of walnut catsup, one of mushroom catsup, a little mushroom powder, or a few mushrooms, and the jelly of the meat. When hot, serve with hard eggs, forcemeat balls, and the juice of one lemon.
MOCK-TURTLE SOUP. EXCELLENT, NO. 3
Clean a calf’s head nicely, split it and take out the brains; put the head into considerably more water than will cover it. Let it boil gently, and skim it carefully; when very tender take it out and cut in small pieces. Put into the boiling soup three pounds of beef and a knuckle of veal with all the bones broken fine. Add to this four or five onions, a carrot and turnip sliced, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Let it boil gently for three hours. Parboil the tongue and brains of the calf’s head, and add them when the soup is nearly done. Let it cool and take off the fat.