Clear Mock-turtle Soup is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of veal, vegetables and herbs withcooked in a ham stock with Madeira wine that's clarified with egg yolks and garnished with veal quenelles and is intended to resemble turtle soup. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Clear Mock-turtle Soup.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Clear Mock-turtle Soup that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 140.—MOCK-TURTLE SOUP, CLEAR
First bone, and then parboil the calf's head in plenty of water, and a small handful of salt, for about twenty minutes; and when the calf's head has become sufficiently cold, by steeping in cold water, proceed to trim away the rough parts, particularly the cuticle about the mouth. Having done this, next place the head in a large stewpan, with a good-sized knuckle of veal, about a pound of raw ham, two carrots, two onions—one stuck with twelve cloves—a head of celery, a bunch of basil, marjoram, lemon thyme, a sprig of common thyme, some parsley, winter savory, and spring onions, and two blades of mace; add a quart of good stock, set the stewpan over the fire to boil sharply until the liquid is reduced to a glaze—due care being given to this part of the process to prevent the soup becoming burnt. Next, fill up the stewpan either with stock or water; and when it boils again, skim it carefully, keeping it gently boiling by the side of the fire, until the calf's head is nearly done. The head must now be carefully lifted out of the stock with a skimmer, and after being washed in a large pan of cold water, and well drained upon a sieve or cloth, placed in a press, between two large dishes, in the larder to become cold. The calf's-head stock must now be strained through a sieve into a clean stewpan; the grease entirely removed from its surface, and then clarified by mixing into it three whites of eggs previously whipped with a pint of cold water; set the stock on the fire, and whisk it until it boils, and then lift it to the side of the stove, there to boil gently until it has become bright; this will take about twenty minutes. The stock must now be strained through a napkin into a soup-pot; the calf's head cut into pieces an inch square, and being placed in the mock-turtle stock, add half a pint of madeira, a pinch of cayenne, and allow the soup to boil gently by the side of the fire until the pieces of meat are thoroughly done. When about to send to the table, add some very small forcemeat quenelles, and a little lemon-juice. Note.—Forcemeat, for the quenelles here alluded to, is prepared as follows: viz.,—to half a pound of lean veal, pounded and rubbed through a sieve, add two ounces of panda, No. 184, six hard yolks of eggs, an ounce of butter, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, and three or four yolks of raw eggs; pound all this in a mortar, rub it through a wire sieve, and then, having rolled this preparation out (with some flour shaked over the table) into the form of toy-marbles, throw these into some water kept ready boiling in a stewpan for the purpose; they will be done in six minutes; after being drained, put them into the mock-turtle.
Modern Redaction
The original version calls for a calf's head, the flesh of which is cut into inch square pieces to mimic turtle meat. But you can use a boned breast of veal cut into similar sized pieces to achieve an equivalent effect.
Ingredients:
1 breast of veal
3 knuckles of veal
450g raw ham
2 carrots
2 onions
12 cloves
1 head of celery
1 bunch of herbs made from basil, marjoram and lemon thyme
1 sprig of thyme
6 sprigs of parsley
2 sprigs of winter savory
4 spring onions
2 blades of mace
1l stock
6l stock
3 egg whites
600ml water
300ml Madeira wine
pinch of cayenne pepper
20 small quenelles (shaped into balls)
2 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Place the breast of veal in a large stockpot with the knuckles of veal, ham, carrots, onions (stick one of them with the cloves), celery, herbs, spring onions and mace. Add 1l of stock, bring to a boil and continue cooking until the liquid has reduced to a glaze (be careful not to burn the ingredients during this time).
Now add the remaining stock and bring back to a boil. Carefully skim the surface then reduce the heat to a very gentle boil and continue cooking for about 2 1/2 hours, or until all the meat is tender. Remove the breast of veal at this point then chill in a large bowl of cold water, drain, place between two large plates and set aside to cool completely.
Strain the stock from the pan through a sieve into a clean pan. Allow to cool then skim off all the grease from the surface. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, beat together the egg whites and cold water. Whisk into the hot stock then bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a brisk simmer and continue cooking until the stock clarifies (about 20 minutes). Strain through a fine-meshed sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean stockpot then cut the breast of veal into squares about 2cm per side.
Place the meat into the soup and add the Madeira wine along with the cayenne pepper. Bring to a gentle boil and continue cooking until the meat is heated through. Pour into a warmed soup tureen, add the forcemeat quenelles and the lemon juice then serve.
