"Mpoconnor7" > wrote in message
...

> I'd love to find a recipe that used real turtle.

Well, it's not PC to eat turtle anymore, but books, happily, are
forever. My 1960s edition of the Joy of Cooking has a recipe for
turtle soup:

Green Turtle Soup
makes about 8 cups

"It is a timesaver to buy canned or frozen turtle meat. But if you
can turn turtles, feel energetic and want to prepare your own, see [a
page later in the book -- if you want the directions, I'll post them,
otherwise ...].

Place in a saucepan and bring to the boiling point:
1 lb green turtle or terrapin meat cut into pieces
3 cups water
3 cups Brown Stock (see [later in the book -- just a regular,
well-seasoned beef stock])
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
juice and thinly sliced peel of 1/2 lemon
a few grains cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 whole corianders

These pods will rise to the top by the end of the cooking period and
can be skimmed out before serving.

Heat:
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Saute in this for 2 minutes:
2 medium-sized chopped onions

Stir in:
1 tablespoon flour

Add: 1-1/2 cups fresh skinned seeded tomatoes

Permit these ingredients to cook for 10 minutes. Combine them with
the turtle mixture and:
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cloves minced garlic

Simmer the soup until the meat is tender, at least 2 hours. You may
add a few drops of caramel coloring. Add to each serving:
1 tablespoon dry sherry

Garnish the soup with:
2 chopped hard-cooked eggs
Lemon slices

-j