A Drunken Mock Turtle Soup

With turtles somewhat scarce in England the traditional mock turtle soup recipe suggests boiling up a whole calf’s head instead.

But being as we’re unable to find a pot big enough – or an obliging butcher – we’ve opted for an alternative of slow cooked beef brisket.

The result is a delectable, albeit slightly boozy soup with rich and piquant Bloody Mary flavours.

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4-6

100 ml Broken Clock Vodka
500 g Beef Brisket
200 g Meat Balls
50 g Ham Hock
200 g Tomato Purée
30 g Tinned Anchovies
70 g Butter
1000 ml Beef Broth
500 ml Vegetable Stock
3 Cloves Garlic (Pressed)
2 Onions (Finely Chopped)
6 Celery Stalks (Chopped)
30 ml Worcestershire Sauce
20 ml Ketchup
15 ml Tabasco
1 Bay Leaf
2 Pinches Cayenne Pepper
Pinch Sea Salt
Chopped Parsley
Juice of Half a Lemon
Hard Boiled Egg Yolks

METHOD:

Slow cook the beef brisket in advance and set aside.

Now shred the meat and fry briefly in a large saucepan with the butter, garlic and onions.

Add all the other ingredients except the parsley, lemon juice and egg yolks and simmer on a low heat for 90 minutes.

Before serving, squeeze the lemon juice into the broth. Dress each bowl of soup with a hard boiled ‘mock turtle egg’ yolk and a parsley.

If one is feeling adventurous then drizzle a little more Broken Clock on top.