Thickened turtle soup from calf's head: the head is blanched, the bones are browned with onion and root vegetables and simmered for 3 hours, the head meat is cooked tender in the stock, the soup is thickened with a brown roux, seasoned with cognac, Madeira, salt and mace and served with sliced head meat plus meat, fish and egg dumplings.
Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 56 (falt i det fri)
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About the dish
The thickened version of turtle soup follows right after the clear one in Erken. Here the bones and vegetables are browned first, and the soup is thickened with a brown roux and seasoned with cognac and Madeira — a rich, dark festive soup in the French style.
How to make it
1
Blanching
Set the well-soaked and cleaned calf's head in cold water. Lift it out when the water boils and rinse it with cold water.
2
Cut up
Cut the meat off the head and crush the bones.
3
Brown bones and vegetables
Brown the bones in butter together with the onion and the cut-up root vegetables. Pour on water so it stands above the bones, add the bouquet garni and let it simmer for 3 hours.
4
Cook the head meat
Strain off the stock and cook the head meat tender in this stock.
5
Brown roux
Brown butter and flour together in a pot. Thin with the veal stock and the juices from the bones into an even, smooth soup.
6
Season and cook
Add the cognac and Madeira, salt and mace, and let the soup simmer for 1 hour. Taste again.
7
Serving
Slice the head meat neatly and put it in the soup together with fish, meat and egg dumplings. Serve hot.
Changes from the original
Measurements are modernized (grams, liters, deciliters); "wine glass" reckoned as about 1 dl. "Mace" is kept but explained as mace (macis), with nutmeg as an alternative. Soup herbs are explained as a bouquet garni, and the method is split into numbered steps.
📖1914
Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 56
½ gjødkalvehode
1 gulerot
1 selleri
1 løk
1 suppevisk
125 gr. smør
100 gr. hvetemel
3 l. kalvekraft
1 vinglas konjak
2 del. madeira
muskatblomme
smaa kjøtboller
smaa fiskeboller
eggeboller
Det godt utvandede og rensede kalvehode blancheres, d. v. s., hodet sættes paa i koldt vand, tages op, naar det koker, og overheldes med koldt vand. Kjøttet skjæres fra. Benene knuses og brunes i smør sammen med løken og de opskaarne røtter, overheldes med vand, saa meget at vandet staar over benene, smaakoker i 3 timer. Kraften siles fra, og hodekjøttet kokes mørt i denne kraft. Smør og mel brunes sammen, spædes med kalvekraften og skyen fra benene, tilsættes vinen, smaakoker 1 time. I suppen serveres det pent opskaarne hodekjøt, fisk-, kjøt- og eggeboller. Suppen saltes og krydres efter smak.
📖1949
Revised 1949 recipe
From the revised edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 68
(Potage à la tortue.) — ½ gjødkalvhode, 1 løk, 1 gulerot, 1 selleri, i suppevisk, 125 gr. smør, 100 gr. hvetemel, 3 l. kalvekraft, 1 vinglass konjakk, 2 del. madeira, små kjøttboller, små fiskeboller, eggboller, muskatblomme. — Det godt utvannede og rensede kalvehode blancheres, d. v. s. hodet settes på i koldt vann, tas op når det koker, og overhelles med koldt vann. Kjøttet skjæres fra. Benene knuses og brunes i smør sammen med løken og de opskårne røtter, overhelles med vann, så meget at vannet står over benene, småkoker i 3 timer. Kraften siles fra, og hodegjøttet kokes mørt i denne kraft. Smør og mel brunes sammen, speses med kalvekraften og skyien fra benene, tilsettes vinen, småkoker 1 time. I suppen serveres det pent opskåret hodegjøtt, fiske-, kjøtt- og eggboller. Suppen saltes og krydres eftersmak.
In stores now
Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.
1914 (korrekturlest, s. 56) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 68)~54% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til
(Potage à la tortue.) — ½ gjødkalvehode 1 gulerot gjødkalvhode, 1 selleri løk, 1 løk gulerot, 1 suppevisk selleri, i suppevisk, 125 gr. smør smør, 100 gr. hvetemel hvetemel, 3 l. kalvekraft kalvekraft, 1 vinglas konjak vinglass konjakk, 2 del. madeira muskatblomme smaa kjøtboller smaa fiskeboller eggeboller madeira, små kjøttboller, små fiskeboller, eggboller, muskatblomme. — Det godt utvandede utvannede og rensede kalvehode blancheres, d. v. s., s. hodet sættes paa settes på i koldt vand, tages op, naar vann, tas op når det koker, og overheldes overhelles med koldt vand. vann. Kjøttet skjæres fra. Benene knuses og brunes i smør sammen med løken og de opskaarne opskårne røtter, overheldes overhelles med vand, saa vann, så meget at vandet staar vannet står over benene, smaakoker småkoker i 3 timer. Kraften siles fra, og hodekjøttet hodegjøttet kokes mørt i denne kraft. Smør og mel brunes sammen, spædes speses med kalvekraften og skyen skyien fra benene, tilsættes tilsettes vinen, smaakoker småkoker 1 time. I suppen serveres det pent opskaarne hodekjøt, fisk-, kjøt- opskåret hodegjøtt, fiske-, kjøtt- og eggeboller. eggboller. Suppen saltes og krydres efter smak. eftersmak.
Which cut of meat is used, and how is it prepared?
Half a fattened calf's head. It is well soaked, cleaned and blanched: set in cold water, lifted out when it boils and doused with cold water. Then the meat is cut off, and the bones are crushed.
How much cooking time should I expect?
Around 5 hours in all. The bones are browned in butter with onion and roots, covered with water and simmered for 3 hours. The stock is strained, the head meat is cooked tender in it, and the brown roux with stock and wine simmers for 1 hour.
What is served in the soup?
Small meatballs, small fish dumplings and egg dumplings. The soup is flavored with 1 wine glass of cognac, 2 deciliters of Madeira and mace.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (1914), page 56. It serves 10 and uses 3 liters of veal stock, 125 g butter and 100 g wheat flour for the roux.
