Turtle Sauce Piquante

Cut up celery, onions and bell peppers; drain mushrooms (save liquid) and sauté together in oil. When the vegetables are tender, pour in 1 gallon whole tomatoes, drain 1 gallon of whole tomatoes, and use only the tomatoes and add the tomato sauce and paste. Use the water from the mushrooms to wash out the cans. Add to mixture. Put in the cayenne peppers, bay leaves, garlic and sweet basil. Let simmer for about 4 hours, stirring every so often to keep from sticking. After the sauce has been thickened, add the turtle meat (the turtle meat can be fried in a little additional oil if desired as some say this improves it), Worcestershire sauce and lemons. Let simmer. Add the black pepper, salt and Salsa de Jalapeno (use Tabasco sauce if Salsa not available) to taste. Should be hot to be good. Cook until meat is tender and is falling apart, and desired thickness is attained. Should take about 8 - 10 hours. Wash and add olives and cook a few minutes longer. Add sherry of desired and serve over rice. Makes about 4 gallons. NOTE: Alligator meat can be substituted for turtle in this recipe. The sauce should be cooked down to the desired consistency before adding gator meat which requires a shorter cooking time than turtle.. This recipe serves very large groups. From The Official Louisiana Seafood and Wild Game Cookbook. Published by; Department of Wildlife and Fisheries P.O. Box 15570 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70895 Price $12.00 Source: Louisiana Seafood and Wild Game