Mock Turtle Soup

Click to Enlarge	Mock Turtle Soup North America
	Serves Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	8 soup ** 4 hr Yes	This excellent soup was invented in response to the soaring price of green sea turtle long it was banned entirely. This is a rude American version contrasting to the refined European recipe which starts by boiling a whole calf's head and ends as a clear consommé with strips of calf's head floating in it. It may surprise you, but even the places where I shop don't carry calf heads. Sheep yes, pig sometimes, but no calf.

2
2
10
10
1
1/2

4
3
1/4
1
2
1
3
3
tt
1/4
a/r

#

oz
oz
cl

t

T
T
c
c

t

Ox Tail, meaty
Eggs, large
Onion
Diced Tomato
Garlic
Lemon
- thin skinned
Allspice whole
Cloves whole
Thyme, dry
Bay Leaf
Olive Oil
Butter
Stock (1)
Water
Salt
Pepper
Madeira (2)

Prep

Joint OX TAILS if whole.
Hard boil the EGGS, cool, peel and set aside.
Chop ONION small.
Dice TOMATOES small.
Crush GARLIC and chop coarse. Chop LEMON fine, including the peel. Crush Allspice lightly. Mix all, along with Cloves, Thyme and Bay Leaf.

Run

Heat Olive Oil in a skillet and fry Ox Tails over moderate heat tumbling until lightly browned on all sides. Remove from the pan retaining all the oil.
Add Butter to the oil and fry Onions stirring until evenly golden.
Put Onions and Ox Tails in a pot. Add Stock, Water and Garlic mix. Bring to a boil and simmer tightly covered just until the meat separates easily from the bones, about 2-1/2 hours.
Remove the oxtails and cool. Strain the soup and discard the solids. Separate and discard the fat using your gravy separator. You could clarify the soup here if you wanted to.
When cool enough to handle the Ox Tails, pull all the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Pull the meat into reasonably uniform pieces discarding any large lumps of fat but keeping all gelatinous connective tissue. Return to the defatted stock.
Add Tomatoes including their juice and bring the soup back to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile: chop PARSLEY course. Chop Eggs course.
When ready to serve, bring back to a boil. Stir in Parsley and Chopped Eggs and take off heat.
Ladle hot soup into bowls and add a teaspoon of Madeira to each.

NOTES:

Stock: Chicken or pork will do.

Madeira: The calf's head version is usually served with sherry, but I prefer madeira for this version.

U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch