Soup (for Turtle)

Ingredients

• 8 pounds coarse beef
• bacon
• onions
• sweet herbs
• pepper
• salt
• butter
• brown flour
• water from boiling the bottom shell
• wine
• catsup
• spice
• cayenne
• reserved turtle flesh
• calf's head (nicest parts, well boiled)
• curry powder
• fried forcemeat balls

Instructions

1. Early in the morning, put the eight pounds of coarse beef into a pot with bacon, onions, sweet herbs, pepper and salt. Make a rich soup stock and strain it. Thicken the strained soup with a bit of butter and brown flour mixed together. Add the water reserved from boiling the turtle's bottom shell. Season the soup very highly with wine, catsup, spice, and cayenne. If using curry powder instead, it will give a higher flavour than spice alone. Add the reserved turtle flesh to the soup and let it boil until tender. If the turtle flesh is not sufficient, add the nicest parts of a well boiled calf's head—but do not use the eyes or tongue. Serve the soup up with fried forcemeat balls in it.
2. If soup is not desired, the remaining flesh may instead be fried and served with a rich gravy.