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Clear Turtle Soup (potage à la tortue clair)

Clear turtle soup from calf's head and veal shank: the head is soaked for 24 hours, parboiled, cooked 3–4 hours with root vegetables and spices, the stock defatted and clarified with beef and egg white, seasoned with Madeira and lemon and served with head meat in strips 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

A classic festive soup from Erken's soup chapter. "Turtle soup" was made in Norwegian bourgeois kitchens from calf's head, which with long cooking and spices gave a jelly-like stock that recalled real turtle soup. Erken presents both a clear and a thickened version, as well as "mock" and "real".

How to make it

  1. 1

    Soaking

    Place the calf's head in salted water for 24 hours. Change the water a few times.

  2. 2

    Cut up the head

    Cut the meat off the head as completely as possible. Set the brain and tongue aside for other use. Crack the bones into suitable pieces.

  3. 3

    Parboiling

    Put the meat and bones in cold, lightly salted water so it just covers. Bring to a boil, skim well and pour off the water. Wash the meat and bones in cold water.

  4. 4

    Cook the stock

    Return the meat and bones to the pot together with the veal shank and the raw ham. Pour over 4 liters of water. Bring to a boil and skim well.

  5. 5

    Vegetables and spices

    Add the cleaned carrots, leek, celery, onion, cloves and bouquet garni. Let the soup simmer covered for 3–4 hours, depending on the size of the head. Skim along the way.

  6. 6

    Strain and press

    Strain the stock through a cloth. Set the head meat aside under light pressure so it becomes firm and easy to slice.

  7. 7

    Defatting and clarifying

    Cool the stock and skim off all the fat. Stir the coarsely scraped beef together with egg white and crushed eggshell, thin with a little cold stock and stir it into the cold stock. Warm slowly while stirring until it almost boils, let it stand and steep without stirring, and carefully strain off the clear soup.

  8. 8

    Assembly

    Bring the clear soup to a boil, add Madeira, lemon juice and salt to taste. Cut the head meat into small squares or fine strips and put it in the soup together with meatballs, fish dumplings and egg dumplings.

  9. 9

    Serving

    Serve the soup piping hot. Milk punch may be served alongside the soup.

Changes from the original

Measurements are modernized (liters/deciliters, grams, tablespoon/teaspoon), "wine glass" reckoned as about 1 dl. Leek, celery and soup herbs are specified as modern vegetables/bouquet garni. Soaking and clarifying are described step by step; the reference to page 32 has been replaced with the clarifying method itself.

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Time machine – what changed?

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

1949 (proofread, p. 67) → Modernised~86% of the text changedremovedadded
½ gjødkalvhode, 0,5 stk kalvehode (gjødkalv, godt utvannet). 2 gulerøtter, kg kalveskank. 200 gr. g rå skinke, skinke. 2 kg. kalveskank, stk gulrøtter. 1 purre, stk purre. 1 selleri, stk sellerirot (eller stangselleri). 1 løk, stk løk. 2 nelliker, 1 suppevisk, ½ del. vin, stk nellikspiker. 1 teskje frisk sitronsaft, stk urtebukett (suppevisk) (persille, timian, laurbær). 4 l. vann, små kjøttboller, små fiskeboller, eggboller, eggekvite og skall av 2 egg, l vann. 250 gr. g magert oksekjøtt. Kalvehodet utvannes oksekjøtt (til klaring, grovskrapet). 2 stk eggehviter med knust eggeskall (til klaring). 2 dl madeira. 1 ts friskpresset sitronsaft. salt (etter smak). små kjøttboller (til servering). små fiskeboller (til servering). eggeboller (til servering). Legg kalvehodet i 24 timer saltet vann i salt og vann. Hodekjøttet skjæres fra 24 timer. Skift vannet noen ganger.. Skjær kjøttet av hodet så helt som mulig (hjerne mulig. Legg hjerne og tunge legges tilside til annet bruk), benene knekkes. Alt settes over varmen side til annen bruk. Knekk beina opp i koldt, saltet vann, så meget passende stykker.. Legg kjøtt og bein i kaldt, lettsaltet vann at så det nettop står over. Kokes op, skummes, siles. Kjøtt såvidt dekker. Kok opp, skum godt av og ben vaskes igjen over hell av vannet. Vask kjøtt og bein i koldt vann kaldt vann.. Legg kjøtt og has straks bein tilbake i gryten tillikemed kalveskanken, påhelles de 4 l. vann; når dette koker sammen med kalveskanken og er skummet, has de rensede røtter den rå skinken. Hell over 4 liter vann. Kok opp og krydderierne i; skum godt.. Tilsett rensede gulrøtter, purre, selleri, løk, nellik og kok sakte urtebukett. La suppen småkoke under lokk i 3—4 3–4 timer, eftersom hodet er stort til. Siles op gjennem sileklædet; avhengig av hodets størrelse. Skum underveis.. Sil kraften gjennom klede. Legg hodekjøttet legges til side med under lett press på. Når så det blir fast og lett å skjære.. Avkjøl kraften er kold, skummes og skum av alt fett fra, fettet. Rør det grovskrapede oksekjøttet sammen med eggehvite og kraften klares knust eggeskall, spe med det grovskrapte oksekjøtt, eggehviter litt kald kraft og eggeskall. Den klaret, silte suppe has tilbake rør det inn i gryten, gis den kalde kraften. Varm langsomt opp under omrøring til det nesten koker, la stå og trekke uten å røre, og sil forsiktig av den klare suppen.. Gi den klare suppen et opkok, tilsettes vin, sitronsaft, hodekjøttet, opskåret oppkok, tilsett madeira, sitronsaft og salt etter smak. Skjær hodekjøttet i små firkanter eller fine strimler, kjøtt- strimler og fiskeboller, samt eggboller. legg det i suppen sammen med kjøttboller, fiskeboller og eggeboller.. Server suppen rykende varm. Til suppen kan det serveres melkepunsj.

Note on Modernised

Mål er modernisert (liter/desiliter, gram, spiseskje/teskje), «vinglas» regnet som ca. 1 dl. Purre, selleri og suppevisk er spesifisert som moderne grønnsaker/urtebukett. Utvanning og klaring er beskrevet trinnvis; henvisningen til side 32 er erstattet med selve klaringsmetoden.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does the dish take in total?
Allow around 30 hours in all. The calf's head must be soaked in salt water for 24 hours before it is cooked, and then comes cooking, straining and clarifying.
What are the brain and tongue used for?
They are set aside for other use. For the soup, the head meat is used, cut off as completely as possible, along with the cracked bones and the veal shank.
How is the soup clarified?
With 250 g lean beef plus the egg whites and shells of 2 eggs. The soup is first boiled up with the head and bones, skimmed and strained, before the meat and bones are washed over in cold water and set back with 4 liters of water.
What is served in the soup, and how is it seasoned?
Small meatballs, fish dumplings and egg dumplings. Seasoned with 2 wine glasses of Madeira and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. The recipe serves 10 (Stor kokebok 1914, p. 56).

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