.gif)
New Orleans-style turtle soup is as unique to our cuisine as gumbo. Unlike the clear turtle soup eaten in most other places, Creole turtle soup is thick and almost a stew. The most widely-served style of turtle soup in the area is descended from the one at Commander's Palace, which is distinctive in using as much veal shoulder as turtle and in including spinach as an ingredient. My recipe is influenced by that one, as well as the incomparable version at Brennan's (quite different, with more tomato), and the wonderful old-style version they did at the now-extinct Maylie's.
The hardest part of any turtle soup recipes is finding turtle meat; if you can't, using veal shoulder turns out a very credible mock turtle soup. It is traditional to serve turtle soup with sherry at the table, but I've never liked the alcoholic taste and aroma of that. I add the sherry into the recipe early to get the flavor, but not the bitter alcohol.
- 3 lbs. turtle meat or veal shoulder or a combination of the two, including any bones available
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 whole cloves
- Peel of one lemon, sliced
- 1 Tbs. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
- 2 sticks butter
- 2/3 cup flour
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. marjoram
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 2 Tbs. Worcestershire
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbs. Louisiana hot sauce
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
- 1/2 of a 10-oz. bag of spinach, well washed and chopped
1. Simmer the turtle meat and/or veal with bones in a gallon of water, along with the bay leaves, cloves, lemon peel, salt and black peppercorns. Keep the simmer going very slowly for about two hours.
2. Strain the stock, reserving the liquid and the meat. If you don't have at least three quarts of stock, add water or veal stock to get up to that quantity. Chop the meat into small shreds and set aside.
3. Make a medium-dark roux (the color of a well-used penny) with the butter and the flour. When the roux is the right color, add the celery, onions, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add the thyme, marjoram, sherry, Worcestershire, and tomato puree, and bring the liquids to a boil.
4. Lower the heat and add the pepper, hot sauce, and meat. Simmer for a half-hour, then add the egg, parsley and spinach and simmer 10 minutes more. It's ready to serve now, but it gets better if you let it simmer for an hour or two more.
5. Correct seasonings with salt and black pepper and serve in heated bowls.
Serves six to eight.