Mock Turtle I is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of beef and veal with herbs, onions, mushrooms and citrus juice with forcemeat balls that's cooked in strong stock and is intended to be a replica of turtle soup, without the turtle. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Mock Turtle I.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
172. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 a calf's head, 1/4 lb. of butter, 1/4 lb. of lean ham, 2 tablespoonfuls of minced parsley, a little minced lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, basil, 2 onions, a few chopped mushrooms (when obtainable), 2 shallots, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1/4 bottle of Madeira or sherry, force-meat balls, cayenne, salt and mace to taste, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 Seville orange, 1 dessert-spoonful of pounded sugar, 3 quarts of best stock, No. 104.
Mode.—Scald the head with the skin on, remove the brain, tie the head up in a cloth, and let it boil for 1 hour. Then take the meat from the bones, cut it into small square pieces, and throw them into cold water. Now take the meat, put it into a stewpan, and cover with stock; let it boil gently for an hour, or rather more, if not quite tender, and set it on one side. Melt the butter in another stewpan, and add the ham, cut small, with the herbs, parsley, onions, shallots, mushrooms, and nearly a pint of stock; let these simmer slowly for 2 hours, and then dredge in as much flour as will dry up the butter. Fill up with the remainder of the stock, add the wine, let it stew gently for 10 minutes, rub it through a tammy, and put it to the calf's head; season with cayenne, and, if required, a little salt; add the juice of the orange and lemon; and when liked, 1/4 teaspoonful of pounded mace, and the sugar. Put in the force-meat balls, simmer 5 minutes, and serve very hot.
Time.—4-1/2 hours. Average cost, 3s. 6d. per quart, or 2s. 6d. without wine or force-meat balls.
Seasonable in winter.
Sufficient for 10 persons.
Note.—The bones of the head should be well stewed in the liquor it was first boiled in, and will make good white stock, flavoured with vegetables, etc.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1kg beef short ribs
2 knuckles of veal
115g butter
115g lean ham, finely diced
2 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tsp lemon thyme, minced
2 tsp sweet marjoram, minced
2 tsp basil, shredded
2 onions, finely chopped
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 shallots, finely diced
2 tbsp plain flour
190ml Madeira or sherry
forcemeat balls
salt, cayenne pepper and ground mace, to taste
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 Seville (sour) orange
1 dessert spoon powdered sugar
3l rich strong stock
Method:
Tie the beef short ribs and veal knuckles in a cloth then boil in a pan of fresh water for 60 minutes. Remove the cloth and set aside until cooled. Strip the meat from the bones and chop finely. Add to a large stockpot and pour over the stock. Bring to a boil and continue boiling gently for 60 minutes then take off the heat and set aside.
In the meantime, melt the butter in a clean stockpot. Add the ham, herbs, parsley, onions, shallots, mushrooms and 600ml of the cooked stock. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 2 hours. Whisk in as much of the flour as is needed to dry up the liquid then whisk in the stock and the wine. Bring back to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes then take off the heat and allow to cool gently. Purée in a blender then pass through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing down on any solids with the back of a spoon.
Adjust the seasonings to taste then add the lemon and orange juices and the sugar (if desired). Add the forcemeat balls (or any meatballs) then bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve very hot.
Traditionally this was served over the bones of a calf's head to resemble the shell of the turtle, but you can omit this little culinary detail.
