Start by making the turtle stock. Put the turtle meat into a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Add the bay leaves and about a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and skim the scum that floats to the top. Drop the heat to a bare simmer and cook until the turtle meat wants to fall off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours.

Remove the meat from the pot and pull it off the bones. Chop as coarse or as fine as you want. Strain the turtle broth and put it into a pot set over low heat to keep warm.

In a Dutch oven or other soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and stir in the flour. Cook this, stirring almost constantly, to make a roux the color of peanut butter, which will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the green pepper, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped turtle meat and stir to combine.

Stir in a cup of the turtle stock at a time until you the soup is the consistency of gravy. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and paprika. Add more turtle broth until the soup thins a bit. It should be thicker than water, thinner than gravy — like chicken and dumplings if you are familiar with that. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Finish the soup with the sherry, parsley, lemon zest and hard-boiled eggs. Add them all, stir to combine and simmer for a minute or two. Add salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve alone or with rice.

1. Preheat a pan and add oil. Brown the pheasant all over. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a cast iron casserole.

2. Add shallots, pancetta and garlic to the pan. Stir fry until the pancetta becomes crispy. Transfer the mixture to the casserole.

3. Add the mushrooms, chestnuts, herbs, port wine and stock around the pheasant. Bring the mixture in the casserole to boil. Turn off the heat, and cover with a lid. Transfer the casserole to a preheated oven at 160°C and cook for about an hour.

4. When the pheasant is cooked, remove it from the casserole and let it rest.

5. Meanwhile, mix the melted butter and flour in a bowl. Add this to the casserole. Bring the sauce to boil. Reduce the sauce until it is syrupy. Remove the bay leaves and the thyme. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Cut the pheasant into quarters, and divided them between two warm plates. Spoon the chestnuts, pancetta, shallots and mushrooms on the side of the pheasant pieces, with a generous amount of sauce.

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, chicken and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Set cooker to low and cook for 2-3 hours.

Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.