arts&life

dining
di
i in
i

Turkey Time!

T

hanksgiving is among the most
decadent holidays of the year. It’s
a no-holds-barred, fill the gut,
starchy and sweet feast. Of all national
holidays, Thanksgiving is defined by
abundance and gratitude
for all we have and are.
Unlike the Pilgrims,
however, many of us
have more than enough
food to eat. What a
blessing.
If there is one food
Annabel Cohen
Food Columnist
that makes people
nervous during meal
prep, it’s turkey. An extra half-hour of
cooking turns juicy into dry. Or worse,
undercooked meat (usually in the darker
meat of the bird, thighs and drumsticks),
is just plain scary. Of course, you could
have the turkey cut into pieces (like
chicken) and cook the parts separately
(not a bad idea) and simply remove the
breast first (makes for easy carving).
Some like to grill or deep-fry turkey.
Fine! Have at it. However, a home filled
with the aromas of roasting bird is intox-
icating. It’s like aromatherapy for the
house.
If you roast the turkey my way, it’s
foolproof! It’s simple (not a lot of herbs
or spices) and no brining or marinating.
Here’s another little extra I do — I buy
an extra breast (my family likes white
meat almost exclusively). I cut it into

slices during the afternoon, top with
gravy or chicken broth and warm it that
way for utmost moistness. So, I have
a whole cooked turkey to carve (I call
it the “stunt turkey”), and all the extra
white meat my guests can devour.
Of course, no meal is complete with-
out side dishes, so I make some that I
serve hot and others to eat cold or at
room temperature. That way my dinner
buffet is groaning (full, full), the way I
like it.

SIMPLE AND PERFECT ROAST TURKEY
1 turkey (any size from 10-25 pounds),
thawed if frozen
Olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 orange, cut into quarters
1 lemon for every 10 pounds of turkey,
cut into quarters
1 ounce of white wine for every pound
of turkey
Chicken broth or stock, apple cider or
water
1 garlic clove for every pound of turkey
1 medium onion (a bit larger than the
size of a tennis ball) for every 10 pounds
of turkey
1 bay leaf for every 10 pounds of tur-
key

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a rack (if
you have one) in a roasting pan (can be
a disposable aluminum roasting pan — I

suggest doubling the disposable pan if
your turkey is large). Place the turkey,
breast-side up, on the rack or in the bot-
tom of the pan. (A rack raises the turkey
from the bottom of the pan and allows
the turkey to “brown” on the underside
— if I don’t use a rack, often I will put on
dishwashing gloves and literally turn the
turkey over during cooking for about 30
minutes to brown the bottom and allow
the juices to drift into the breast. Then I
turn it over again to finish cooking. You
can “perch” the turkey over root vegeta-
bles.)
Remove any giblets (liver, heart, giz-
zard) and neck from the cavity (they are
usually under the tail end of the turkey
in a small “bag”) and chill to reserve for
gravy. Put the neck in the roasting pan.
Dry turkey with paper towel. Rub
turkey all over with olive oil and rub
liberally with salt and pepper. Place the
oranges and lemons in the breast cavity
of the turkey.
To the roasting pan add wine and
enough broth fill the pan to a ¼ -inch
depth (this will add moisture to the tur-
key). Sprinkle the onions, garlic and bay
leaves in the liquid.
Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at
350°.F Cover breast loosely with alumi-
num foil. Continue roasting, spooning
or basting with a baster every 30 min-
utes until an instant-read thermometer
inserted in the thickest part of a thigh

reaches a temperature of 160°, about
14-15 minutes for every pound of turkey.
Transfer turkey to a cutting board to
rest for at least 30 minutes (or more. I’ve
let it rest for an hour and the meat is still
very warm) before carving. The turkey
does not have to be hot (it can be warm),
but the gravy should be piping hot.
Cut the turkey into slices and serve.
Note: There are lots of videos online
that will show just how to carve a turkey.

BEST GRAVY
All turkey drippings, strained (fat and
juices from roasted turkey)
Enough chicken or turkey broth, wine
or water to equal 2-3 cups total of liquid
1 Tbsp. flour for every cup of liquid
(more if you like “thick” gravy; flour
makes the gravy less greasy)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the drippings in a medium
saucepan over medium heat. When
bubbles start forming around the edge
of the pan, sift in flour a little at a time,
whisking after each addition. When
the mixture is thickened and smooth,
drizzle in liquid (broth or wine) and
whisk again constantly, until mixture is
smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Keep warm until ready to serve.
Note: If gravy is not flavorful enough,
add chicken or turkey bouillon to the
gravy for a great “cheat.” Bouillon tends
to be salty, so be careful with seasoning.

continued on page 46

44

November 15 • 2018

jn