Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site unirot.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!qantel!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!seismo!caip!unirot!liz From: liz@unirot.UUCP (Mamaliz ) Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: How to cook a turkey Message-ID: <209@unirot.UUCP> Date: Sun, 17-Nov-85 17:11:53 EST Article-I.D.: unirot.209 Posted: Sun Nov 17 17:11:53 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 21-Nov-85 05:16:36 EST Reply-To: liz@unirot.UUCP (Mamaliz ) Organization: The Soup Kitchen Lines: 94 This recipe works well for a turkey that is up to about 15 lbs. Anything larger then that is going to give you a dry tasteless bird anyhow (probably). I discovered the basics of the recipe in "The Taste of America" which I cannot find right now, so I cannot give author attributes. It is an excellent book and is published by Penguin. It is not a cookbook. THE SOUP KITCHEN TURKEY Make sure your turkey is at room temperature. It is better to use a fresh turkey, but I have succesfully used frozen turkey during the summer and such. (We feed lots of people at the Soup Kitchen - so we have turkey a lot). Get your oven HOT, you are roasting this turkey, not steaming it or baking it. I use 425-450 depending on my mood, and whether I have found the cook- book. While the oven is heating, make your favorite stuffing. I like a rather plain bread stuffing, mg likes his even plainer. There are good fancy stuffings, but you will not find a recipe for one here. Bread Stuffing (Plain and plainer) One or two bags of stuffing mix. If you have stale homemade bread around the house use it instead. Of course it will be better. There is never stale homemade bread around my house...if I get in the mood to bake, people seem to finish it right off. A LOT of melted butter. I use a stick of butter and a stick of margarine usually. As much finely chopped celery as you want (mg hates celery, so if you want it real plain, leave out the celery - it works, but I think it misses something). 1 finely chopped medium yellow onion (mg also hates this, but I ignore him. Put the onion in no matter what.) 1/2 to a whole box of fresh chopped mushrooms. (mg thinks this is too many mushrooms also - I think you get the idea that veggies are not his thing. These are not necessary, I like them though). All of the brown giblets, also chopped real fine. ("Yuck, you are putting gooey things in the stuffing.") These can be left out also. I tend to supplement them with some chicken livers and hearts. Saute all the veggies and giblets in the butter/margarine mixture. You only want to cook them until the onions are transparent and the celery is getting soft. Add the mushrooms and giblets near the end, you do not want them real overcooked. Add the contents of the frying pan to the bowl of bread cubes. (You probably fried the veggies an hour ago anyway). Just make sure the butter is still sort of liquid. Add whatever spices you are interested in (I would probably use nothing but sage and thyme). Add 1-2 cups boiling water (depending on how much bread you use). Add an egg yolk or two. Stir around until everything is sort of soggy and let cool enough so you can handle it with your bare hands. The stuffing is made (enough for an army it seems, but I know many people who would rather eat stuffing then anything else. I never seem to have leftover stuffing ...boo hiss). Wash your turkey and dry it well. Stuff both cavities lightly. Do not try to fill them up too much or the turkey might explode. Stuffing expands when it cooks. Sew the flaps shut with strong thread (I use unwaxed dental floss). All those little gadgets are good for nothing. Sew the wings to the turkey so they lie flat. Tie the legs together. Pour some more melted butter all over the turkey. Lie the turkey on its side on an oven proof platter not too much larger then the turkey. Put it into your hot oven. 15 minutes later, turn the turkey on to its other side. Cook another half hour or 15 minutes depending on how fast it is browning (you dont want it to brown too fast). Turn the oven down to about 350 after this. You should supposedly turn the turkey over regularly, but I usually give up (it is a sloppy job for strong arms and just put it on its breast or its back at this point. The turkey is going to cook (with regular basting with the juice in the platter and MORE butter) for another 2-3 hours, not longer. While all this is happening you have made a turkey broth with the neck, maybe some turkey wings, and the chicken broth you have in your freezer. A good portion of this now goes over the rest of the stuffing that is in some sort of casserole. Cover the casserole (I use a large cake pan and aluminum foil). Put it in the oven with your turkey (even on the oven floor if your oven is as small and shelfless as mine is). Take the turkey out (remember it has cooked 3-1/2 hours or less - you want food not cardboard) and make a gravy with all those good juices in the platter. Let the turkey sit while you do this. I cannot tell you how to make a good gravy, as I have never succeeded at one myself. Take out the stuffing. Serve. Hope somebody at the table knows how to carve. lizzy