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Thickened Turtle Soup (potage à la tortue)

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. 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. 2

    Cut up

    Cut the meat off the head and crush the bones.

  3. 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. 4

    Cook the head meat

    Strain off the stock and cook the head meat tender in this stock.

  5. 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. 6

    Season and cook

    Add the cognac and Madeira, salt and mace, and let the soup simmer for 1 hour. Taste again.

  7. 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.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 56)~83% of the text changedremovedadded
0,5 stk kalvehode (gjødkalv, godt utvannet og renset). ½ gjødkalvehode 1 stk gulrot (oppskåret). gulerot 1 stk sellerirot (eller stangselleri). selleri 1 stk løk. løk 1 stk urtebukett (suppevisk) (persille, timian, laurbær). suppevisk 125 g smør. gr. smør 100 g hvetemel. gr. hvetemel 3 l kalvekraft. l. kalvekraft 1 dl konjakk. vinglas konjak 2 dl madeira. del. madeira muskatblomme (macis) (eller litt revet muskat). salt (etter smak). små kjøttboller (til servering). små smaa kjøtboller smaa fiskeboller (til servering). eggeboller (til servering). Sett det Det godt utvannede utvandede og rensede kalvehodet på kalvehode blancheres, d. v. s., hodet sættes paa i kaldt vann. Ta koldt vand, tages op, naar det opp når vannet koker koker, og skyll det overheldes med kaldt vann.. Skjær kjøttet av hodet koldt vand. Kjøttet skjæres fra. Benene knuses og knus beina.. Brun beina brunes i smør sammen med løken og de oppskårne rotgrønnsakene. Hell på vann så det står opskaarne røtter, overheldes med vand, saa meget at vandet staar over beina, legg i urtebuketten og la det småkoke benene, smaakoker i 3 timer.. Sil av kraften timer. Kraften siles fra, og kok hodekjøttet kokes mørt i denne kraften.. Brun smør kraft. Smør og mel sammen i en gryte. Spe brunes sammen, spædes med kalvekraften og skyen fra beina til en jevn, glatt suppe.. Tilsett konjakk og madeira, salt og muskatblomme, og la suppen småkoke i benene, tilsættes vinen, smaakoker 1 time. Smak til på nytt.. Skjær hodekjøttet pent opp og legg det i I suppen sammen med fiske-, kjøtt- serveres det pent opskaarne hodekjøt, fisk-, kjøt- og eggeboller. Server varmt. Suppen saltes og krydres efter smak.

Note on Modernised

Mål er modernisert (gram, liter, desiliter); «vinglas» regnet som ca. 1 dl. «Muskatblomme» er beholdt men forklart som muskatblomme (macis), med muskat som alternativ. Suppevisk er forklart som urtebukett, og fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn.

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Frequently asked questions

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.

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