Turtle soup

[justjohn]

All of you folks who live in Poland, is there an equivalent recipe for a turtle soup as there is in the US?

[justjohn]

Turtle Soup

1 Snapping Turtle

Any old soup recipe will work for (snapping) turtle soup. The main problem with turtle soup is cleaning the turtle. You have to be certain that every last speck of fat is removed from the meat before cooking. This is not too difficult because the fat is between the skin and the flesh.

To butcher a turtle you start by chopping off the turtle's head. Be careful because the head will still bite even after it is removed from the body and the body will still crawl away after the head is removed. Turtles don't die right away.

When the body stops trying to crawl away, dip it in boiling water and scrape off the exterior layer of skin, including the shell. The result will be a bright white carcus, compared to the muddy brown-green you started with.

Next step is to remove the shell. Cut along grove on each side between the front and back legs. It is the narrowest part of the shell. The tail, neck and all four legs are attached to the top of the shell. Remove from shell and you have the bulk of the meat. However, there will be some meat on the bottom shell and top shell.

It is at this point that you remove the fat. Just roll back the skin and with a paring knife and your index finger scrape out the fat.

I learned about turtles from my parents who learned from their German immigrant fathers. It has been told in family circles that my maternal grandfather would catch snapping turtles by hand. I never saw him do it because he was hit and killed by a truck when I was about nine years old. It was a big loss for me because he was just starting to teach me about turtles, wild mushrooms, dandelions and other natural things. He made the greatest doughnuts I ever ate.

Good luck with your turtle soup. Just cook it long with lots of vegetables and it will be good if you removed all of the fat. - Earl

From Earl Shelsby

Collected by Bert Christensen
Toronto, Ontario

[justjohn]

I am looking for my old recipe for this. We would fish the river and on occasion catch a good size snapper. We then would bring it to an old farmer along the river and he would prep it and cook it. Really, it is very delicious.

Here is a recipe that sounds good.

SNAPPING TURTLE IN A POT
Printed from COOKS.COM



1 to 2 lbs. turtle meat
1/4 c. dry sherry wine (optional)
2 tsp. instant, minced onion
2 carrots, sliced
1/8 tsp. dried basil
Salt
2 c. water
2 celery stalks cut into pieces
8 sm. unpeeled redskinned potatoes, halved

Notice: no fingers or toes allowed!!!

Salt turtle meat well and place in your slow cooking pot. Add all other ingredients in order given. Then cover and cook on low heat for 6 or 7 hours or until turtle meat is tender. Remove turtle meat from to and cut into bite size pieces. Return meat to slow cooking pot, cover, and continue to cook on low heat for an additional 2 hours or until vegetables are done.

[bescheid]

My Goodness J.J.

That little {big} fellow appears very dangerious,hungry and very nasty!! I am not sure of which to more fear, this fellow or a nasty mean agitatited viper!!

I sure do hope he is good eating, I think perhaps of my rathers, I would rather to only see this fellow on the table cooked!!

Charles

[joyce]

I thought that maybe this thread was a joke at first...never figured anyone would consume a turtle-let alone a snapping turtle. We had a pond-called Mulligan's pond that was the breeding ground for many slimy green snapping turtles. Being a kid and watching the older neighborhood kids drag these critters out of the pond with a gaff and watching the turtles get mean, made me decide those were better left alone. Once I knew that the snapping turtles were in there, I found other & more calmer ponds to catch poly wogs and watch the water skates.

Hmmm so what does turtle taste like? Does it have a gamy taste?

[livia]

justjohn said:

WOW!


Well , I didn't quite mean THAT creature when I said they're pet animals in Poland.

[justjohn]

joyce said:

I thought that maybe this thread was a joke at first...never figured anyone would consume a turtle-let alone a snapping turtle. We had a pond-called Mulligan's pond that was the breeding ground for many slimy green snapping turtles. Being a kid and watching the older neighborhood kids drag these critters out of the pond with a gaff and watching the turtles get mean, made me decide those were better left alone. Once I knew that the snapping turtles were in there, I found other & more calmer ponds to catch poly wogs and watch the water skates.

Hmmm so what does turtle taste like? Does it have a gamy taste?

from another recipe site:

I still prepare my own snapper soup, on occasion, as well as other dishes featuring the tender, delectable meat of these reptiles. Many folks claim the flesh has the combined flavors of pork, beef, veal, fish and chicken.

Hmmmmmm - - - -




It's been so long that I had any I can only remember that it has its own distinct flavor.

[tex]

JJ, your post and picture brought back a lot of good memories for me. When my wife and I were much younger, we used to eat snapping turtle stew on a regular basis. My wife always carried a 5 gallon bucket in her car and if she spotted a snapper crossing the road, she would pull over, grab him by the tail and stuff him head first in the bucket. Then she would put the bucket in the car and drive home. Sometimes she would shoot them in the head with a 22 before cutting the head off, but most of the time she would step on the turtles back, grab his jaw with a big pair of channel lock plyers, stretch out the neck and cut the head off with a large knife.

After she cut the turtles head off, she had a special technique to keep the dead turtle from clawing her to death. She would take a pair of wire cutters and give the beast a manicure before she started skinning him. She could skin a turtle and dress the meat faster than any man I ever met. And the weird thing was that she really enjoyed doing it. I dressed many a turtle myself over the years, but I can't say I ever really enjoyed it.

My wife usually made more of a thick stew then a soup out of the turtles. She didn't follow any particular recipe, but it sure was good, especially on a cold winter day.

Below is a photo of my wife and one of her catches.



James

[uncltim]

Never In my life did I think I would ever hear people talk about snapping turtle soup again! Growing up in the north woods of wisconsin turtle soup was as common as venison or walleye. When I would tell city-slickers about these things they would look at me with the 1000yd stare. Makes me feel like Im around my own people.

P.S. you got a good woman there pal.

[justjohn]

tex said:

JJ, your post and picture brought back a lot of good memories for me. When my wife and I were much younger, we used to eat snapping turtle stew on a regular basis. My wife always carried a 5 gallon bucket in her car and if she spotted a snapper crossing the road, she would pull over, grab him by the tail and stuff him head first in the bucket. Then she would put the bucket in the car and drive home. Sometimes she would shoot them in the head with a 22 before cutting the head off, but most of the time she would step on the turtles back, grab his jaw with a big pair of channel lock plyers, stretch out the neck and cut the head off with a large knife.

After she cut the turtles head off, she had a special technique to keep the dead turtle from clawing her to death. She would take a pair of wire cutters and give the beast a manicure before she started skinning him. She could skin a turtle and dress the meat faster than any man I ever met. And the weird thing was that she really enjoyed doing it. I dressed many a turtle myself over the years, but I can't say I ever really enjoyed it.

My wife usually made more of a thick stew then a soup out of the turtles. She didn't follow any particular recipe, but it sure was good, especially on a cold winter day.

Below is a photo of my wife and one of her catches.



James

James,

What is that there in the fuzzy background? Do I see some Black Bards and Rhode Island Reds??

Got a dozen myself. Tell me what you know about 'Guinea Hens'.

[tex]

JJ,

Yep, you got the poultry identification down pat. I know a little about guinea's, I had some for several years. They are the most noisy bird you can keep so they make good watch dogs or watch birds as the case may be. Not so good if you live a wild place since they will keep you up all night with their noise. They will roost high in a tree, but not out of reach of the bobcats so I had a choice of cooping them up at night or letting the cats have a free meal anytime they wanted I finally took the third option and butchered and ate the whole flock.

Season them up real good, dust some flour on them, brown them in olive oil in a cast iron dutch oven, add water, raw rice and some more seasoning or chopped up onions and garlic, stick it in the oven for a couple of hours and you have a meal to die for. The meat is similar to chicken, maybe a little darker, with a real good flavor, kind of like quail or pheasant.

I learned that recipe from my grandfather, that's how he cooked his banty chickens when I was a kid.

James

[uncltim]

Great wisdom in the third option. Clearly a Polish trait.

[justjohn]

Since we are relating 'Ole Recipes' here, I decided to add one I have been using for a while now. Everybody who gets some loves it and asks for more.

New England Baked Indian Pudding. _{( A recipe from 1743 - The volume of this recipe can be cut in half as I have successfully done this )}

Place 2 quarts scalded milk in double boiler with 1 1/2 cups cornmeal. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes stirring with a whip until thick and smooth.

In a roasting pan or dutch oven mix 3 cups of dark molasses, 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar, 4 cups raisins, 1 1/2 cups of butter, 4 Tbs pure vanilla,
2 Tsp of salt, 1 Tbs of cinnamon, 8 eggs, 4 13-oz. cans of evaporated milk,
and 1 quart of boiling water.

Mix all ingredients with a whip. Pour in the hot corn meal and stir until it is mixed well.

Bake in a slow oven at 250 degrees F until golden brown. About 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Serve hot with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

This will serve about 12 people. You can also freeze it in plastic containers. I ship it with dry ice to relatives.

[Jaga]

Guys,

did you realize that for some reasons this post was read over 14 thousands times!

[justjohn]

Dec 9, 2009 17:10:05 GMT -7 Jaga said:

Guys,

did you realize that from some reasons this post was read over 14 thousands times!

For some reason? Well :)All I can say is that this thread has social redeeming value. Remember, when the banks go broke, the fire for the snappers we stoke. Just don't add fingertips for garnish as they would gladly relieve you of yours!!!!!