Post by pameladragon on Apr 28, 2012 19:18:17 GMT -5
Pond Dragon Soup The Weyr
Diced meat and stock from one snapper at least 10" in diameter
2 carrots
6 ribs celery
6 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
1 small green chili pepper (seeded) or a green bell pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 28-oz cans chopped tomatoes or equivalent in fresh
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry or cream sherry (the alcohol will cook out,
don't use so-called cooking sherry, it is poor quality and salty)
8 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Finely chop carrots, celery, garlic, onions, and the chili and sauté in olive oil until soft and very fragrant. Add to the stock in the pot along with the tomatoes and juice, bay leaves, sherry and turtle meat. Simmer gently for an hour then stir in the eggs. Taste and correct seasonings and this dish is ready to serve. Really excellent with a good salad and crunchy homemade bread, pass the sherry for those wanting a kick in their soup. Snapper soup is also a lovely first course at a more elaborate dinner.
Catching and Killing the Turtle
Acquire a live snapping turtle and be VERY careful how you handle the beast. They are fast, strong, and have incredibly long necks. This is not a job for the careless or timid. The best way to pick up a turtle is by its tail. For turtles too heavy to lift this way, grasp the shell immediately behind the head as well; wear heavy leather work gloves, don’t let the turtle get near any of your appendages, and be CAREFUL. Most especially note that this is NOT a job that goes better with beer or any other alcoholic beverages. You will need your wits about you at all times. Save the adult beverages for celebrating after the deed is done.
Two people are better, especially for first-time turtle slayers, but one competent person can do this alone. If your turtle is active and aggressive, you are in luck. Tease it with a stout stick until it bites down on the stick. Once they bite, they usually do not like to release their hold (bear this in mind and keep your fingers and other favorite body parts well out of range) so use this against the beast. Pull the stick away and the head and neck will follow. As soon as you have enough neck exposed, chop off the head, using a sharp ax, clever, or katana. Judicious use of a .22 will also dispatch the turtle quickly but you will still need to lop off the head.
Hang the turtle, upside down, in the shade so the blood will drain. Do not forget about that head. This is a reptile and the head will still be capable of inflicting a very nasty and painful bite. Turtle heads are not appropriate toys for pets or children; dispose of the head properly by burial or in a sturdy trashcan.
Now that you have a dead turtle you are ready to continue with the dressing and butchering. This is pretty easy, actually, very similar to cutting up a chicken and much simpler now that the turtle is dead. Using heavy shears or a sharp knife, sever the connection between the top and bottom shells and remove the plastron (bottom shell). Remove the viscera. The liver is considered a delicacy or can be made into pet treats along with the heart. Always cook any turtle scraps before feeding to the cats. After cutting off the limbs and tail, remove the claws and take everything into the kitchen for scrubbing and cooking. There is a lot of excellent meat in the carapace (top shell), do not discard this. You should have four legs, one tail, the neck, plastron and carapace. Everything can be neatly arranged in the carapace for easy transport. This is also the proper way to freeze dressed snappers.
Soak the parts in cool salty water for an hour or so. This is the time to scrub off any algae that is encrusting the back of the carapace. This is not usually a problem except in very large turtles (at this point, if you are freezing the turtle, arrange the parts in the carapace, double bag, and freeze). Bring water to the boil in a pot large enough to hold the entire snapper (take time to check fit before hand), add a handful of salt and all the turtle bits. Parboil for a few minutes then pour everything through a colander to drain the turtle. Refill the pot with fresh water; add some carrots, celery tops, onion, bouquet garni, and all the turtle parts. Simmer until the meat is tender and easy to remove from the bone. Remove the turtle parts from the stock, reserving the stock, and pick out all the meat. There is a nice "tender" that runs along the spine, on each side. Be sure to remove this. It may be necessary to use a nut pick or chopstick to get at it through the rings of bone. Be persistent.
You are now ready to proceed with the soup. Use your discretion. If you have a very large turtle, increase the quantities and make more soup. In my experience, most turtles offered for sale are in the 10"-12" size range, although she has captured a few monsters that were too heavy for one strongly motivated turtle-stalking woman to lift alone. Some of them are too big for the biggest stockpot and further ingenuity is called for. If you decide to tackle this starting with a live snapping turtle, I would love to hear about your experiences.
This recipe is excerpted from one of my columns, Living Along the Appomattox, that appeared in the Appomattox Times Virginian a few years ago. The whole thing is much funnier but does not have a lot to do with killing and cooking snapping turtles!
Diced meat and stock from one snapper at least 10" in diameter
2 carrots
6 ribs celery
6 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
1 small green chili pepper (seeded) or a green bell pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 28-oz cans chopped tomatoes or equivalent in fresh
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry or cream sherry (the alcohol will cook out,
don't use so-called cooking sherry, it is poor quality and salty)
8 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Finely chop carrots, celery, garlic, onions, and the chili and sauté in olive oil until soft and very fragrant. Add to the stock in the pot along with the tomatoes and juice, bay leaves, sherry and turtle meat. Simmer gently for an hour then stir in the eggs. Taste and correct seasonings and this dish is ready to serve. Really excellent with a good salad and crunchy homemade bread, pass the sherry for those wanting a kick in their soup. Snapper soup is also a lovely first course at a more elaborate dinner.
Catching and Killing the Turtle
Acquire a live snapping turtle and be VERY careful how you handle the beast. They are fast, strong, and have incredibly long necks. This is not a job for the careless or timid. The best way to pick up a turtle is by its tail. For turtles too heavy to lift this way, grasp the shell immediately behind the head as well; wear heavy leather work gloves, don’t let the turtle get near any of your appendages, and be CAREFUL. Most especially note that this is NOT a job that goes better with beer or any other alcoholic beverages. You will need your wits about you at all times. Save the adult beverages for celebrating after the deed is done.
Two people are better, especially for first-time turtle slayers, but one competent person can do this alone. If your turtle is active and aggressive, you are in luck. Tease it with a stout stick until it bites down on the stick. Once they bite, they usually do not like to release their hold (bear this in mind and keep your fingers and other favorite body parts well out of range) so use this against the beast. Pull the stick away and the head and neck will follow. As soon as you have enough neck exposed, chop off the head, using a sharp ax, clever, or katana. Judicious use of a .22 will also dispatch the turtle quickly but you will still need to lop off the head.
Hang the turtle, upside down, in the shade so the blood will drain. Do not forget about that head. This is a reptile and the head will still be capable of inflicting a very nasty and painful bite. Turtle heads are not appropriate toys for pets or children; dispose of the head properly by burial or in a sturdy trashcan.
Now that you have a dead turtle you are ready to continue with the dressing and butchering. This is pretty easy, actually, very similar to cutting up a chicken and much simpler now that the turtle is dead. Using heavy shears or a sharp knife, sever the connection between the top and bottom shells and remove the plastron (bottom shell). Remove the viscera. The liver is considered a delicacy or can be made into pet treats along with the heart. Always cook any turtle scraps before feeding to the cats. After cutting off the limbs and tail, remove the claws and take everything into the kitchen for scrubbing and cooking. There is a lot of excellent meat in the carapace (top shell), do not discard this. You should have four legs, one tail, the neck, plastron and carapace. Everything can be neatly arranged in the carapace for easy transport. This is also the proper way to freeze dressed snappers.
Soak the parts in cool salty water for an hour or so. This is the time to scrub off any algae that is encrusting the back of the carapace. This is not usually a problem except in very large turtles (at this point, if you are freezing the turtle, arrange the parts in the carapace, double bag, and freeze). Bring water to the boil in a pot large enough to hold the entire snapper (take time to check fit before hand), add a handful of salt and all the turtle bits. Parboil for a few minutes then pour everything through a colander to drain the turtle. Refill the pot with fresh water; add some carrots, celery tops, onion, bouquet garni, and all the turtle parts. Simmer until the meat is tender and easy to remove from the bone. Remove the turtle parts from the stock, reserving the stock, and pick out all the meat. There is a nice "tender" that runs along the spine, on each side. Be sure to remove this. It may be necessary to use a nut pick or chopstick to get at it through the rings of bone. Be persistent.
You are now ready to proceed with the soup. Use your discretion. If you have a very large turtle, increase the quantities and make more soup. In my experience, most turtles offered for sale are in the 10"-12" size range, although she has captured a few monsters that were too heavy for one strongly motivated turtle-stalking woman to lift alone. Some of them are too big for the biggest stockpot and further ingenuity is called for. If you decide to tackle this starting with a live snapping turtle, I would love to hear about your experiences.
This recipe is excerpted from one of my columns, Living Along the Appomattox, that appeared in the Appomattox Times Virginian a few years ago. The whole thing is much funnier but does not have a lot to do with killing and cooking snapping turtles!