d, with the other part of
the entrails, which must all be cut up small to be mixed in the baking
dishes with the meat. This done, separate the back and belly pieces
entirely, cutting away the four fins by the upper joint, which scald,
peel off the loose skin, and cut them into small pieces, laying them by
themselves, either in another vessel, or on the table, ready to be
seasoned. Then cut off the meat from the belly part, and clean the back
from the lungs, kidneys, &c. and that meat cut into pieces as small as a
walnut, laying it likewise by itself. After this you are to scald the
back and belly pieces, pulling off the shell from the back and the
yellow skin from the belly; when all will be white and clean, and with
the kitchen cleaver cut those up likewise into pieces about the bigness
or breadth of a card. Put those pieces into clean cold water, wash them
out, and place them in a heap on the table, so that each part may lie by
itself. The meat, being thus prepared and laid separately for seasoning,
mix two third parts of salt, or rather more, and one third part of
Cayenne pepper, black pepper, and a spoonful of nutmeg and mace pounded
fine, and mixed together; the quantity to be proportioned to the size of
the turtle, so that in each dish there may be about three spoonfuls of
seasoning to every twelve pounds of meat. Your meat being thus seasoned,
get some sweet herbs, such as thyme, savoury, &c. let them be dried and
rubbed fine, and having provided some deep dishes to bake it in, (which
should be of the common brown ware) put in the coarsest parts of the
meat at the bottom, with about a quarter of a pound of butter in each
dish, and then some of each of the several parcels of meat, so that the
dishes may be all alike, and have equal portions of the different parts
of the turtle; and between each laying of the meat, strew a little of
this mixture of sweet herbs. Fill your dishes within an inch and an
half, or two inches of the top; boil the blood of the turtle, and put
into it; then lay on forcemeat balls made of veal, or fowl, highly
seasoned with the same seasoning as the turtle; put into each dish a
gill of good Madeira wine, and as much water as it will conveniently
hold; then break over it five or six eggs, to keep the meat from
scorching at the top, and over that shake a small handful of shred
parsley, to make it look green; which done, put your dishes into an oven
made hot enough to bake bread, and in an hour a