4 to 5 quarts water Salt
1 pound dried small red beans, Freshly ground black pepper
or 1 pound dried red kidney beans 4 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
1½ pounds smoked ham hocks ¼ c dry red wine, or red wine
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and vinegar
coarsely chopped 2 scallions, including the green
1 c coarsely chopped celery, tops, trimmed and sliced crosswise
including some of the leaves into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 large bay leaf, crumbled 2 lemons, sliced crosswise into
¼-inch-thick rounds
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Bring 3½ quarts of water to a boil over high heat in a heavy 8- to
10-quart casserole. Drop in the beans and boil them for 2 minutes. Then turn
off the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Drain off the liquid,
measure it and add enough fresh water to make up 3½ quarts. Return the
liquid to the casserole, add the ham hocks, onions, celery and bay leaf,
and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer,
partially covered, for 3 hours, or until the ham is tender and shows no
resistance when pierced deeply with the point of a small, sharp knife.Transfer the ham hocks to a plate and cut off and discard the skin and bones. Cut the meat into ¼-inch pieces. Purée the beans and vegetables and their cooking liquid through the medium blade of a food mill and return them to the casserole. Add the ham, taste the soup, and season it with salt and pepper.
Stir in the chopped eggs and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Remove the casserole from the heat, stir in the wine or vinegar, and serve at once from a heated tureen or individual soup plates. Just before serving, garnish the soup with the scallions and lemon slices. Serves 8 to 10.
2 pounds fresh, frozen or canned ½ c flour
turtle meat, thoroughly defrosted ¼ c canned tomato purée
if frozen ¼ c Worcestershire sauce
2 quarts water ½ c pale dry sherry
1 small onion, peeled and quartered, 2 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
plus 1½ c finely chopped onions 2 T finely chopped fresh parsley,
1 small bay leaf, crumbled preferably the flat-leaf Italian
½ tsp ground hot red pepper (cayenne) variety
2 tsp salt 1 lemon, sliced crosswise into
8 T butter, cut into ½-inch bits ¼-inch-thick rounds
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Combine the turtle meat and water in a heavy 5- to 6-quart casserole and
bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile skimming off the foam and scum as
they rise to the surface. Drop in the quartered onion, bay leaf, red pepper
and salt, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for about
2 hours, or until the turtle meat is tender and shows no resistance when
pierced with the point of a small, sharp knife.With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate and cut it into ½-inch cubes. Strain the contents of the casserole through a fine sieve set over a bowl and reserve 4 c of the stock. (If there is less than 4 c, add fresh or canned chicken stock to make up that amount.)
Rinse the casserole, add the butter bits and melt over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the chopped onions and, stirring frequently, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are soft and brown. Watch carefully and regulate the heat so that the onions color deeply without burning.
Mix in the flour and, still stirring occasionally, cook until the flour browns. Stirring constantly with a wire whisk, pour in the reserved 4 c of stock and cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, thickens lightly and is smooth.
Reduce the heat to low, stir in the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add the cubed turtle meat, the sherry and the chopped hard-cooked eggs and, stirring gently, simmer the soup for 2 or 3 minutes longer to heat the meat through. Add the parsley and taste for seasoning.
Ladle the soup into a heated tureen or individual soup plates, garnish with the lemon slices and serve at once. Serves 6.
