This soup will require eight hours to prepare. Take a large calf's
head, and having cleaned, washed, and soaked it, put it into a pot with
a knuckle of veal, and the hock of a ham, or a few slices of bacon; but
previously cut off and reserve enough of the veal to make two dozen
small force-meat balls. Put the head and the other meat into as much
water as will cover it very well, so that it may not be necessary to
replenish it: this soup being always made very rich. Let it boil slowly
four hours, skimming it carefully. As soon as no more scum rises,
put in six potatoes, and three turnips, all sliced thin; with equal
proportions of parsley, sweet marjoram, and sweet basil, chopped fine;
and cayenne pepper to your taste. The ham will salt it sufficiently.
An hour before you send the meat to table, make about two dozen small
force-meat balls of minced veal and beef-suet in equal quantities,
seasoned with pepper and salt; sweet herbs, grated lemon-peel, and
powdered nutmeg and mace. Add some beaten yolk of egg to make all these
ingredients stick together. Flour the balls very well, and fry them
in butter. Before you put them into the soup, take out the head, and
the other meat. Cut the meat from the head in small pieces, and return
it to the soup. When the soup is nearly done, stir in half a pint of
Madeira. Have ready at least a dozen egg-balls made of the yolks of
hard boiled eggs, grated or pounded in a mortar, and mixed with a
little flour and sufficient raw yolk of egg to bind them. Make them up
into the form and size of boy's marbles. Throw them into the soup at
the last, and also squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Let it get another
slow boil, and then put it into the tureen.
* * * * *
We omit a receipt for _real_ turtle soup, as when that very expensive,
complicated, and difficult dish is prepared in a private family, it is
advisable to hire a first-rate cook for the express purpose.
An easy way is to get it ready made, in any quantity you please, from a
turtle-soup house.