Bayouturtlesoup Recipes

CREOLE TURTLE SOUP

Steps:

• Start by making the turtle stock. Put the turtle meat into a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Add the bay leaves and about a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and skim the scum that floats to the top. Drop the heat to a bare simmer and cook until the turtle meat wants to fall off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove the meat from the pot and pull it off the bones. Chop as coarse or as fine as you want. Strain the turtle broth and put it into a pot set over low heat to keep warm.
• In a Dutch oven or other soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and stir in the flour. Cook this, stirring almost constantly, to make a roux the color of peanut butter, which will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the green pepper, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped turtle meat and stir to combine.
• Stir in a cup of the turtle stock at a time until you the soup is the consistency of gravy. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and paprika. Add more turtle broth until the soup thins a bit. It should be thicker than water, thinner than gravy -- like chicken and dumplings if you are familiar with that. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
• Finish the soup with the sherry, parsley, lemon zest and hard-boiled eggs. Add them all, stir to combine and simmer for a minute or two. Add salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve alone or with rice.

BAY LEAF BEET SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap beets in foil.
• Bake the beets until tender, about 1 hour; allow to cool, then peel the beets. Cut them into bite-size chunks.
• Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, and cook the red onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in the beets, bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, cinnamon, cumin, and tarragon. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the flavors of the bay leaves and spices are blended, 20 to 25 minutes. Pick out bay leaves.
• Ladle about 1/4 of the beets into a blender, and add soup liquid as needed to fill the blender about 1/4 full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the beets and broth moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree the beets until smooth, and pour back into the soup.

BRUNCH ON THE BAYOU

Steps:

• Place sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly until evenly browned. Drain grease, and set aside.
• Spread bread pieces in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over the bread pieces, then sprinkle in the cooked sausage. Cover with shredded cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, white wine, Dijon mustard, and green onions. Season with black and red pepper. Pour the egg mixture over everything in the baking dish. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• Remove the dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Then uncover, and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and spread sour cream over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is starting to brown slightly.

BAYOU BEND BRUNCH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a well greased 9x13-inch casserole dish, spread bread pieces over bottom and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with Montery jack cheese and salami pieces.
• Beat together eggs,milk,wine,green onions,mustard and black and red pepper until mixture is frothy. Pour mixture over bread mixture. Cover casserole with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake covered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
• Uncover, spread with sour cream and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

BLEND OF THE BAYOU

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, cook and stir the cream cheese and 2 tbsp of the butter over low heat until melted and smooth.
• In a large skillet, saute onion, celery and green pepper in the remaining butter until tender.
• Stir in cream cheese mixture.
• Stir in shrimp, soup, mushrooms, garlic salt, hot pepper sauce, cayenne pepper and rice.
• Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Combine cheddar cheese and cracker crumbs; sprinkle over the top.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.