Cooter Soup

[Queenie]

OK - I swear this is a real recipe.  My boyfriend's mom gave me a cookbook called "Charleston Receipts" a couple of years ago and some of the recipes are from way out in the country!  This is NOT an LDL recipe, but Little Mary asked me what the ingredients were, so I started looking through my boxes of books (we just moved and the books aren't put away yet).  So here goes:

WARNING - IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, STOP READING NOW!

Cooter Soup

1 large or 2 small "yellow belly" cooters (preferably female)
1 large onion, chopped
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons allspice
Red pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons dry sherry
4 quarts water
1 small Irish potato, diced
12 whole cloves
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire
Flour to thicken

Kill cooter by chopping off head.  Let it stand inverted until thoroughly drained, then plunge into boiling water for five minutes.  Crack the shell all around very carefully, so as not to cut the eggs which are lodged near surface.  The edible parts are the front and hind quarters and a strip of white meat adhering to the back of the shell, the liver and the eggs.  Remove all outer skin which peels very easily if water is hot enough.  Wash thoroughly and allow to stand in cold water a short while, or place in refrigerator over night.

Boil cooter meat, onion and potato in the water, and cook until meat drops from bones - about 2 hours.  Remove all bones and skin and cut meat up with scissors.  Return meat to stock, add spices and simmer.  Brown flour in skillet, mix with 1 cup of stock to smooth paste and thicken soup.  Twenty minutes before serving add cooter eggs.  Add sherry and garnish with thin slices of lemon.  Serves 6-8.



And this isn't the "worst" recipe IN the book - there is also one for Calf's Head Soup.  It too, goes into detail.............  ick.

[MaryAnne]

I had to look up what a yellow belly cooter is LOL
for those who don't know it is a turtle!

[joecaracappa]

I have GOT to read that one. Where is it Mary?

Joe

[joecaracappa]

Never mind, found it!

Joe

[tcasola]

I'm a little shell shocked to say the least.

As for Calf's Head Soup - my Italian ancestors wouldn’t bat an eye. My great-grandfather used to eat Lamb/Sheep/Calf brains. In Italian it was called Gab-a-cell (I don’t know the true Italian spelling, so I did it phonetically). The true “treat” of the meal was to eat the eyeballs. That usually went to the oldest patriarch. Thank goodness that’s 3 generations behind me !!

My mother (God rest her soul) used to enjoy noshing on pigs feet, pigs knuckles, pig tail – but she turn her nose up to the pig’s snout.

One man's meal is another man's .......