Bowl of Mock Turtle Soup
(click to enlarge)

Mock Turtle Soup


North America
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8 soup
**
4-1/2 hr
Yes		 This excellent soup was invented in response to the soaring price of green sea turtle long before it was banned entirely. No Mock Turtles are injured in making this soup!
This is a rude American version, not the refined European recipe, which starts by boiling a whole calf's head to make 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 rarely, 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 (1)
Eggs, large
Onion
Diced Tomato
-- Seasonings
Garlic
Lemon
- thin skinned
Allspice whole  
Cloves whole
Thyme, dry
Bay Leaf
-----------
Olive Oil
Butter
Stock (1)
Water
Salt
Pepper
Madeira (2)
Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Joint OX TAILS if whole.
  2. Hard cook the EGGS - see Boiling Eggs for best method. Shell, cool, and set aside.
  3. Chop ONION small.
  4. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water, chill in cold water, peel and dice small.
  5. Crush GARLIC and chop coarse. Chop LEMON fine, including the peel. Crush Allspice lightly. Mix all Seasonings items
Run   -   (4 hrs)
  1. 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.
  2. Add Butter to the oil and fry Onions stirring until evenly golden.
  3. Put Onions and Ox Tails in a pot. Add Stock, Water and Seasonings mix. Bring to a boil and simmer tightly covered just until the meat separates easily from the bones, about 2-1/2 hours.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Add Tomatoes including their juice and bring the soup back to a simmer for 10 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile: chop PARSLEY course. Chop Eggs course.
  8. When ready to serve, bring back to a boil. Stir in Parsley and Chopped Eggs and take off heat.
  9. Ladle hot soup into bowls and add a teaspoon of Madeira to each.
NOTES:

  1. Ox Tails:

      Once considered food for the poor, these are now rather expensive, but there is no reasonable substitute. Select meaty tails. For details see our Ox Tails page.

  2. Stock:

      Chicken or pork will do.

  3. Madeira:

      The calf's head version is usually served with sherry, but I prefer madeira (blonde, not red) for this version.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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