56 | NOVEMBER 21 • 2019 

Ready for the 
Holiday?

Add some variety 
to your traditional 
Thanksgiving meal. 

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY
Prepare about 1 pound of turkey per 
Thanksgiving guest — you’
ll be sure to 
have enough. 

Ingredients:
 1 (12- to 16-pound) whole turkey, neck 
and giblets removed
 Olive oil 
 1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
 1 Tbsp. dried dill
 Kosher salt and pepper
 Paprika
 2 cups white wine or chicken broth

Directions:
Set oven rack to lowest position. Preheat 
oven to 400°F.
Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry 
with clean paper towels. Sprinkle main 
cavity well with salt and pepper. 
If cooking stuffing or dressing in the 
bird cavity, stuff with your favorite stuffing 
and “truss” closed. Place the turkey on a 
rack in large roasting pan (or place turkey 
in a two-stacked large disposable roasting 
pan). Tuck wing tips under the bird and 
tie the legs together loosely with string. 
Rub the turkey well with olive oil and 

sprinkle the seasonings over. Place in the 
prepared pan and pour the wine or broth 
in the pan around the turkey. 
Place turkey in oven and roast the tur-
key 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and 
roast for 30 minutes more. Begin basting 
the turkey every 30 minutes with the col-
lected juices while you continue to roast 
the turkey for 2-3 hours more, or until 
the leg juices run clear when poked with 
a fork (registers 175°F with a meat ther-
mometer). Note: If the turkey becomes 
too dark/golden before it is cooked, cover 
with foil until the meat is cooked through. 
Remove foil in the last 30 minutes of 
cooking to crisp the skin.
Remove the turkey to a platter and let 
stand about 20 minutes before carving 
and serving with reserved juices or gravy. 
Makes about 12-16 servings.

CHERRY LEEK CHALLAH STUFFING
Ingredients:
 ¾ cup sweetened dried cherries
 ½ cup white wine (any kind)
 ¹/3 cup butter or olive oil
 1 cup finely diced onions
 2 cups thin-sliced leeks (white 

Arts&Life

thanksgiving

T

hanksgiving food starts with 
turkey. It’
s the most anxiety-raising 
food most people will prepare. So 
much so, that some people will order an 
expensive bird already cooked rather than 
attempt it themselves. Relax. When you 
realize a turkey is really just a big chicken, 
you’
ll see it isn’
t difficult at all. 
Here’
s a tip — if you don’
t have a 
roasting pan with a rack (that will lift the 
bird from the bottom of the pan so that it 
is golden all around — turn your turkey 
upside down halfway through the cooking 
process. This way the fleshy turkey bottom 
skin becomes as golden as the top. Turn 
the turkey rightside-up again when the 
bottom is golden. I usually don heavy-
duty, thicker than usual dishwashing 
gloves and turn the turkey this way to 
protect myself from the heat. 
Another thought — a turkey will 
continue to cook long after you remove it 
from the oven (all that interior heat does a 
good job of finishing the roasting job), so 
don’
t be tempted to overcook your bird. 
And because we cannot live on turkey 
alone, here are lots of great side dishes to 
serve with it. 

Annabel Cohen
Food Columnist

continued on page 58