The most difficult part of the proceedings, in my opinion, is killing the terrapins.
Jesse forces their heads out of their shells with a sharp stick, then cuts the heads off with a cleaver.
He hangs the turtles up, neck down, and lets the blood drain into a pan or the sink for 10 minutes.
The next step is to remove the meat from the turtle's armor shell.
To do this, set a dishpan of water on the stove and let the water come to a boil.
Drop the whole turtle into the water and let it remain for 5 minutes.
Remove from the water, let cool, and then cut the chest plate off with a sharp knife.
Carve out the turtle meat and cut off the feet.
Put the meat and feet back in the hot water for a few minutes to loosen the tough skin.
Cut up the meat into squares, and cut the skin off the feet, leaving the legs whole.
You are now ready to prepare the ragout proper.
Place the lard in a Dutch oven or aluminum pot, melt it, and add the turtle meat.
Let the meat steam, covered, for 20 minutes, until it is tender and brown..
Take the meat out, place it on a platter, add the onions and garlic to the lard, and let simmer until they are brown, stirring constantly.
When the vegetables are brown, add the flour.
Stir until the flour is brown, and put the meat back into the pot.
Add 2 1/2 cups cold water, the bay leaves, thyme, cloves, parsley, celery, pepper, and salt, and let simmer until the stew thickens about 1 1/2 hours.
Just before serving, add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and sherry.