, to clear away the
slime and then put them in clean cold water till they are used with
the other part of the entrails, which must 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 fore fins by the upper joint,
which scald; peal 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 and place them in a heap on the
table, so that each part may lay by itself; the meat being thus
prepared and laid separate for seasoning; mix two third parts of salt
or rather more, and one third part of cyanne pepper, black pepper, and
a nutmeg, and mace pounded fine, and mixt all 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 pound
of meat; your meat being thus seasoned, get some sweet herbs, such as
thyme, savory, &c. let them be dryed an rub'd fine, and having
provided some deep dishes to bake it in, which should be of the common
brown ware, put in the coarsest part of the meat, put a quarter pound
of butter at the bottom of each dish, and then put 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 meat strew a little of the mixture of sweet herbs, fill your
dishes within an inch 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, highly seasoned with the same seasoning as the Turtle; put in
each dish a gill of 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 handful of
shread parsley, to make it look green, when done put your dishes into
an oven made hot enough to bake bread, and