This soup, the delight of civic corporations, the friend of the doctors,
and enemy of the alderman, has been, and perhaps ever will be, the
leading article of English cookery. Its great complication has rendered
it difficult in private establishments; I shall here, however, simplify
it so as to render it practicable. Make choice of a good turtle,
weighing from one hundred and forty to one hundred and eighty pounds,
hang it up by the hind fins securely, cut off the head and let it hang
all night, then take it down, lay it upon its back, and with a sharp
knife cut out the belly, leaving the fins, but keeping the knife nearly
close to the upper shell; take out the interior, which throw away, first
collecting the green fat which is upon it, then remove the fins and
fleshy parts, leaving nothing but the two large shells, saw the top
shell into four and the bottom one in halves; then put the whole of the
turtle, including the head, into a large turbot kettle, and cover them
with cold water, (or if no kettle large enough blanch it in twice),
place it upon a sharp fire and let boil five minutes, to sufficiently
scald it, then put the pieces into a tub of cold water, and with a
pointed knife take off all the scales, which throw away, then take out
carefully the whole of the green fat, which reserve, place the remainder
back in the turbot kettle, where let it simmer until the meat comes
easily from the shells and the fins are tender, then take them out and
detach all the glutinous meat from the shells, which cut into square
pieces and reserve until required. Fricandeau and a few other entrées
were sometimes made from the fleshy parts, but the stringy substance of
that mock meat is not worth eating, and few stomachs can digest it.
_The Stock._--For a turtle of the above size (which is considered the
best, for in comparison with them the smaller ones possess but little
green fat,) cut up sixty pounds of knuckles of veal, and twenty pounds
of beef, with six pounds of lean ham; well butter the bottom of three
large stewpans, and put an equal proportion of meat in each, with four
onions, one carrot, twenty peppercorns, ten cloves, two blades of mace,
an ounce of salt, and a pint of water; place them upon sharp fires,
stirring them round occasionally until the bottom of each is covered
with a brownish glaze, when fill them up with the water in which you
blanched the turtle, taking more water if not sufficient; when boiling
place them at the corners of the fires, let them simmer two hours,
keeping them always well skimmed; then pass the stock through a fine
cloth into basins to cool. The stock after being drawn down in the three
separate stewpans, may be turned into a large stock pot, but my reason
for doing it in smaller quantities is, that it requires less ebullition,
and consequently the aroma of the different ingredients is better
preserved; after having passed the stock, fill them up again with water,
let them simmer four hours, when pass it and convert it into glaze as
directed (No. 132).
_The Soup._--Put three pounds of butter into a large stewpan with ten
sprigs of winter savory, ten of thyme, ten of basil, ten of marjoram,
and ten bay-leaves; place it a few minutes over a moderate fire, but do
not let it change colour, then mix in four pounds and a half of flour to
form a roux, which keep stirring over the fire until it becomes lightly
tinged, when take it off the fire and stir it occasionally until partly
cold, then add the stock which should amount to ten gallons, place it
again over the fire and stir it until boiling, then place it at the
corner, let it simmer two hours, keeping it well skimmed, then pass it
through a tammie into a clean stewpan, add the pieces of turtle, place
it at the corner of the fire and let it simmer until the meat is nearly
tender, when add the green fat, and let it remain upon the fire until
the meat is quite tender, add a little more salt if required, and put it
by in basins until ready for use; when ready to serve warm the quantity
required, and to each tureenful add half a saltspoonful of cayenne, and
a quarter of a pint of Madeira wine; serve a lemon separate. To make
soup of a smaller sized turtle you must of course reduce the other
ingredients in proportion. The remains of the soup put in jars will keep
a considerable time.