Turtle Soup (Mock) III

Ingredients

1 calf's head, split

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup carrot, sliced into thin rounds

5 cloves, 6 whole pepper corns, a bay leaf, dried thyme or marjoram, tied in cheese cloth bag for a bouquet garni

1 tablespoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, unsalted

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef stock (see our Beef Stock recipe

1 cup tomato juice

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup Madeira wine

1. Wash calf's head and soak covered in cold water. Discard soaking water and place calf’s head into a Dutch oven and cover with boiling water.  Add carrot, onion, bouquet garni, and salt.  Cover and simmer until the meat is tender. Remove bouquet garni after half an hour and discard.

2.  Take out the calf's head and the meat from it, reserve liquid.  Cut into small pieces 1 cup of meat to be used in the soup.  Reduce the stock to four cups by simmering.  Put through sieve and cool. 

3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and mix thoroughly with flour.  Gradually add stock stirring all the time, until the soup is thickened and smooth. 

4.  Add the stock from the calf’s head, tomato juice and the 1 cup cut meat.  Reheat and season to taste with freshly ground pepper and more salt if you like.