For some time I have considered creating a blog. I have tried e-mail and Facebook. Of course, I still participate in both, however I thought I would try creating a blog and see how I like it. Winter is fast approaching here in the south and there will be a lot more time to spend on "indoor activities". Possibly blogging will be my cup of tea.
As I write this, I have yet to put up a profile about myself, so if you have questions, well you'll either have to ask, or fill in the blanks.
Oh yea! The turtle... the other day my son, Jeff, and I caught ourselves a rather large Snapping Turtle. The only turtle that you can still take legally in Tennessee. (Since this was written the laws in Tennessee have changed, and you can no longer take the Alligator Snapping Turtle as game)
I have made some friends here in my short tenure that have expounded on turtle as an old southern delicacy.
So we capture the turtle and put him in the back of the truck. When we arrive home with said turtle, Jeff has a cleaver and is getting ready to dispatch this big guy. I rush to the computer to find out "HOW".
The first thing I read is that the legs and the tail have the best meat... don't waste 'em. So I race back outside and yell, "STOP" at Jeff, who I'm sure is about to cut every extremity off the animal. Luckily I got there in time.
It turns out that this turtle stew thing is no easy task. First you have to find a big enough pot to boil the turtle in. Yes, shell and all. I ended up using one of those pots that you can cook an entire turkey in and this turtle barely fit. This boiling so that he is easier to de-shell.
Next I learn that there are three different kinds of meat in a turtle (is IN a turtle the proper... or, oh well). There is meat as red as beef, white as chicken and then a meat which resembles the attachments in a clam. Sort of chewy by nature, but good.
Once you get the meat out and the resident army of cats is satisfied with the heart, liver and the like, it does become easier. Now you have, oh my goodness, two pounds of really great looking meat.
I sauteed in olive oil, onion, garlic, a little Italian sausage, salt and pepper. Then added the turtle. When warmed up, I added all this to a pot that had two large cans of crushed tomatoes and stock. This I let simmer for about an hour and a half. I prepared a pot of sticky rice and served the turtle stew over the rice. It turned out great, even the resident Doubting Thomases were impressed.
No, it doesn't taste like chicken, which in my opinion is the label that people like to put on any type of exotic food. Exotic in this case, meaning something out of the ordinary.
I'm not a chef, but I do love to cook and create in the kitchen... another favorite winter pastime. The kids call my creations "Pantry Surprise". Some are good and alas, some...
So that's my turtle stew story and I'm sticking to it. I can say that I am certain that this is part of my rite-of-passage in moving from Northern California to Northeastern Tennessee.
This is good, it feels right to sit down at the type writer (well you know) and bang something out.
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