Tuesday, July 3, 2012

You Want Me To Cook WHAT???

On the phone with my Mom and Dad last night, I heard their door bell ring. Then this:

M: Oh geez, who is that? George you better go and see.

D: (SFX: grumbling, rustling, door opening) Hey, oh thanks. Has it been frozen?

M: I bet it's more fish. (pauses to hear the door close) Was it the neighbors? What she give you, more fish.

D: No, turtle.

M: What?

D: Turtle, turtle.

M: TURTLE? What I'm suppose to do with turtle?

D: Yes Judy turtle, you COOK IT!

M: I'm not cooking turtle, I'm not eating it, you must be crazy, how do you even cook turtle? etc etc

They continue talking to each other over the phone, even though they are only a room apart. I can just see my Mom walking into the living room with her hand on her, hip still talking to him in the phone. I decided to join in by suggesting turtle soup? That set off another round. OK, I suggested, maybe fry them up as turtle-nuggets? Well you can imagine the rest of the discussion.

All joking aside, it is an interesting question. Turtle was obviously not something on the menu in my house growing up, but it is considered to be gourmet food in many countries; camp cuisine in the south.

The first thing I wondered was what wine would go well with turtle? Of course it depends on how you cook it. But I thought it would be fun to find a brand with "turtle" on the label and send it to them. After a quick search, none looked even slightly appealing.

So I turn to you for help. Recipe and/or wine suggestions?




***COMMENTS:  Many people tell me they posted and it never showed up. Disappointing for us both. So click comment, type your comment, check the box that says "comment as" then hit post. If a word verification box does not appear next (a scrambled word to retype) your comment did not post. Thanks!

5 comments:

  1. Once had a Turtle soup which was made with primarily Turtle (obviously) and Guinness Stout ...

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  2. My grandfather once spoke of cooking and eating turtle. Got the impression it was an old family recipe. Unfortunately he has since passed away, and obviously, the recipe with him. Guess I should have paid more attention.

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  3. I've had turtle soup before! It's been awhile! It's like chowder!

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  4. I did some googling...lol

    Baked Turtle
    Our thanks to R. Moore from Michigan for sending this recipe.


    ~ 1 turtle, cut into serving pieces, bone in okay
    ~ 1 carrot, chopped
    ~ 1 onion, chopped
    ~ 1 rib celery, chopped
    ~ flour
    ~ salt
    ~ pepper
    ~ garlic powder
    ~ 2-3 eggs
    ~ cracker crumbs, make your own from Town House or saltine crackers
    ~ butter enough for browning

    Place the meat, onion, carrot and celery in a large pot. Add enough water to cover.

    Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

    Let set in juices to cool.

    When cool, drain and discard everything but meat.

    In a shallow dish, beat the eggs.

    Season the flour to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder or use your favorite seasoning.

    Roll the meat in the flour. Dip in the eggs and then roll in the cracker crumbs.

    Melt the butter in a large skillet. Brown the meat on all sides.

    Place meat in baking dish. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

    Serve and Enjoy!

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  5. Thanks for the comments and the recipe. I will follow up with George and Judy and keep you posted!

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