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Chef's table

Home cooks, please don't mock turtle soup

By GUI ALINAT
Published April 27, 2005

"Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,

Waiting in a hot tureen!

- Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland

It's hard to believe that Carroll was referring to turtle soup. In the modern culinary world, turtle soup is an oddity, in part, because we'd rather see the gentle animals alive than in our soup. There is, however, no denying the history of turtle soup.

I learned during a trip to New Orleans this year that turtle soup is still on the menu at Commander's Palace and other restaurants there. It has been only recently, however, that turtle soup has been contained to the Crescent City. When sea turtles were still abundant, they provided cooks of many countries with a meat of choice.

Today, sea turtles are protected as an endangered species. Only farm-raised freshwater turtles, as well as some limited species of wild freshwater turtles, can be used for soup or other recipes. New Orleans' restaurants serve legal turtle meat such as soft-shell turtle or snapping turtle.

Some also sneak alligator on you.

"The Mock Turtle Syndrome," a study done in 2001 by then-University of Florida professor Brian Bowen and a graduate student, discovered that not all turtle soup served in New Orleans is exactly what it says it is. The pair collected meat secretly from restaurants and markets. They analyzed the meat's DNA to discover whether the meat came from legally harvested turtles or from endangered species. The study did not turn up any endangered or illegal turtle meat.

But a quarter of the samples were alligator. I guess you could call that mock turtle soup.

In Victorian England, when green sea turtle was the height of gastronomic fashion, mock turtle soup, commonly made of veal, was popular with the middle class.

Ken Arsenault, a resident of Belleair Beach and a serious cook, has made turtle soup his specialty. New Orleans turtle soup, however, is not quite his cup of tea.

"It's great, but it ought to have more meat," Arsenault says. So he buys 5-pound buckets of turtle meat and makes soup from scratch, adapting recipes gathered from New Orlean's famous restaurants, including Brennan's, Commander's Palace and Emeril's.

Originally from Maine, Arsenault comes from a family of passionate cooks. His French mother used to go to restaurants, eat the food, go home and duplicate dishes from memory.

Arsenault has been making turtle soup for years. He won't share his recipe, but is keen on giving clues. He uses snapping turtle, which he says is more like pork, or soft-shell turtle, which is a better meat, more like turkey. Both species are farm-raised freshwater turtles and legal.

Arsenault's recipe differs from the others in the amount of meat and the consistency. "My soup is more like a Brunswick stew."

The key is fresh meat simmered with a mirepoix until tender. The resulting stock is thickened with a good roux, tomato paste for color, onions, thyme and red, yellow and green peppers.

Arsenault also uses sherry and Worcestershire sauce, key ingredients in English cookery, from which turtle soup originated. The soup is finished with chopped hard-boiled eggs and scallions that give it richness. Marilyn McCabe, Arsenault's mother-in-law, says the soup is "absolutely phenomenal. I've had turtle soup before in restaurants but nothing compares to Kenny's."

Well, that's a great way to get invited back. And she knows he is serving the real deal.

-- Send questions to chef Gui Alinat in care of Taste, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail him at chefgui@chefgui.com

Commander's Palace Turtle Soup

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 1/2 pounds turtle meat, cut into medium dice (see note)

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

2 medium onions, cut into medium dice

6 stalks celery, cut into medium dice

30 cloves garlic, minced

3 bell peppers, cut into medium dice

1 tablespoon dried thyme, ground

1 tablespoon dried oregano, ground

4 bay leaves

2 quarts veal stock

1 cup all-purpose flour

26 ounces (750ml bottle) dry sherry

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 large lemons, juiced

3 cups peeled, chopped and seeded tomatoes

10 ounces fresh spinach, stems removed, washed and roughly chopped

6 medium hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped

In a large soup pot over medium to high heat, melt 1/2 stick butter. Add turtle meat and brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 18 to 20 minutes or until liquid is almost gone. Add onions, celery, garlic and peppers, constantly stirring. Add thyme, oregano and bay leaves, and saute for about 20 minutes.

Add stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim any fat that comes to the top. While stock is simmering, make the roux. In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Slowly add flour, a little at a time, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to burn. After all of the flour has been added, cook until roux smells nutty, is pale in color and has a consistency of wet sand, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool. Using a whisk, stir the cooled roux into the stock vigorously, adding a little at a time to prevent lumping. Simmer for about 25 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking on bottom.

Add sherry and bring to a boil. Add hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer and skim any fat or foam that comes to the top. Add lemon juice and tomatoes and return to a simmer. Add spinach and eggs, return to a simmer and adjust seasoning.

Chef's hint: Snapping turtles are a farm-raised species available year-round. Turtle usually comes in 21/2-pound portions. Look for it at fish markets.

[Last modified April 26, 2005, 14:00:34]