Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.

Erken's simple version of turtle soup made with canned turtle: a brown roux with onion extended with bouillon, seasoned with paprika, lemon, sherry and Madeira, with meat cubes in the soup. A historical party dish; turtle should today be replaced with veal or sweetbread.
Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 58 (falt i det fri)
Turtle soup was one of the finest party soups in the bourgeois kitchen around 1900. Where the genuine soup required a whole animal and hours of blanching and boiling, "preserved turtle" in a can was a far simpler solution that gave the same exclusive character. Today all sea turtles are protected, and the recipe is reproduced as a cultural-historical document — feel free to use good veal or veal sweetbread instead, the way the classic "mock turtle" was made.
Brown the roux
Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot, brown the onion and the flour gently until it is light brown and smells nutty.
Extend with stock
Gradually add the boiling bouillon while whisking constantly, so the soup becomes smooth. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
Prepare the turtle
Open the can of turtle and warm it in a water bath. Pour the contents into a colander and let the liquid drain off. Stir the drained liquid into the soup.
Season
Add the paprika, lemon juice, sherry and Madeira. Season with salt. The soup must not boil after the wine is added.
Serving
Cut the meat into small cubes, place them in the soup tureen and pour the hot soup over. Serve at once.
Measurements are converted to modern units (1 del. = 1 dl). Amounts of salt and wine are given as "to taste" as the original states. Turtle meat is marked with a suggested substitution (veal/sweetbread), since sea turtle is protected.
Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.

Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.
Smør
Løk
Product data and prices via Kassalapp. Prices are updated daily and may vary.
Note til Modernisert
Mål er omregnet til moderne enheter (1 del. = 1 dl). Mengder for salt og vin er angitt som «etter smak» slik originalen sier. Skilpaddekjøtt er merket med forslag om erstatning (kalvekjøtt/brissel), siden havskilpadde er fredet.
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