The Starving Musician Recipes
How to Make Your First Thanksgiving Turkey: Turkey with Scarborough Fair
Basting Sauce
This turkey is unstuffed because cooking the stuffing outside the bird
is safer and easier. Don't be afraid of the "long" instructions; prep
actually only takes 15-20 minutes, and I've talked you through it in a
specific order to avoid food contamination and kitchen chaos. Read the
directions all the way through before you begin so you have the game plan
down. If you're using a frozen turkey, make sure it has several days to thaw
in advance!
Ingredients for the Turkey
-
1 fresh or frozen Turkey, approximately
12 lbs.
-
2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2
teaspoons freshly-ground pepper
-
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-
7-8 stalks of Celery
-
1 large Onion
-
1 large Carrot or two medium carrots
-
1 package Fresh Sage leaves
-
Fresh parsley
-
1 dried Bay leaf
-
3-4 whole peppercorns
-
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
For the Scarborough Fair Basting Sauce:
-
1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon butter (salted)
-
1 Fresh Sage leaf, left whole but with a slit cut in the center with a knife
-
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, rubbed between the palms of your hands to release the oils
-
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, rubbed between the palms of your hands to release the oils
-
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
-
3 grinds of freshly-ground black pepper
Equipment
-
Roasting Pan
-
2-quart saucepan
-
Non-stick cooking spray
-
Cutting board
-
3 very small bowls for prep
-
Cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan to fit
under disposable roasting pan
-
Oven thermometer
-
Meat thermometer (the instant read kind,
not the kind that stays in the meat)
-
Pastry brush for basting, or Turkey baster,
or large spoon
-
Strainer
-
Aluminum Foil
-
Shallow plastic storage containers for
stock (I use the square shallow "Entree" size Gladware)
-
Veggie Wash, if you use it
-
Anti-bacterial soap
-
Bleach and water mixture for post-raw
turkey sanitizing
-
Wastebasket or scrap bowl
-
Paper towels
First, the pre-game show a few days ahead:
Thaw turkey in wrapper in a deep tray or roasting pan in fridge, 1 day for
every 4 lbs of turkey. (If you get a fresh turkey, keep in mind commercial
refrigerators are colder than home fridges and that it may be a little
frozen on the inside, so unwrap and check the inside of a fresh bird. It may need a day to
unthaw.)
If you have a fresh turkey, take this opportunity to make stock from
the neck and giblets, following the "giblet pan" directions farther down in
the recipe. Package in shallow containers and store in fridge 'til Turkey
Day.
If you're using a disposable roasting pan, remove its label and wash, rinse,
and dry the roasting pan. If your home is kid- and pet-free, you can also
set the table a couple of days ahead minus the flowers, if you're
using them. For Thanksgiving I prefer non-flower centerpieces, like
this one.
Many
side dishes can be made a day ahead. If you're serving stuffing on
the side made from scratch (technically known as dressing when prepared in a
baking dish), this is also a good time to pinch up the
bread and mix it with the salt, pepper, and dried herbs called for in your
recipe and let stand a few hours to dry out.
Game Day! Prepare your work area:
Place your kitchen wastebasket or scrap bowl, antibacterial soap, veggie
wash if you use it, and plenty of paper towels by the sink. In your nearby
work area, place a mound of 2 teaspoons salt and a mound of 1 1/2 teaspoons
freshly-ground pepper on your cutting board (or in two tiny prep bowls), as
well as a small dish containing 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter. Spray
roasting pan and a 2-quart saucepan with non-stick cooking spray, add 1
Tablespoon vegetable oil to the saucepan and set both pans aside on counter
near sink. If roasting pan is disposable, place a sturdy cookie sheet or
jelly roll pan under it.
Place oven rack in center position (allow for clearance of the tented
turkey). Using oven thermometer, Preheat oven to
400 degrees F. While it's preheating:
Wash celery, onion, carrot, celery leaves from the bunch of celery if any,
fresh parsley, and fresh sage leaves (carefully so as not to bruise the
sage); pat dry. Create a natural roasting rack by arranging 5 washed celery
stalks in horizontal rows in roasting pan (curved side down); set aside.
Peel onion and discard the root end; cut onion, 1 celery stalk, and carrot
into large 2 1/2" chunks; strew them around the bottom of the roasting pan,
reserving a few pieces for inside of turkey. (Note: as long as they're
well-scrubbed, you don't have to peel or remove the carrot ends for this
recipe since they'll be discarded.)
Now you're ready to get the turkey out of the fridge and get your hands
dirty...Ready? Let's go.
Remove the wrapper from the turkey (careful--it can be a messy job).
Remove
neck and giblets from both body cavities if you haven't already done so and
place them in the saucepan with
1/4 onion, 1/2 a celery stalk, and half a carrot, all cut into chunks
(Relax, I hate giblets, too; it's just for making stock). If you don't have
a helper, leave 'em here while you deal with the turkey, so you don't have to
wash your hands yet...
(If you do have a helper, have your helper make the stock from the
giblets: Heat giblet pan containing giblets, turkey neck, the
veggies, and the
1 Tablespoon oil you added earlier on medium heat, stirring occasionally until turkey neck starts to turn golden;
when slightly golden have your helper add water to cover, 3-4 whole
peppercorns, a torn sage leaf, and a bay leaf, and bring to boil. Reduce
heat; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours while turkey is roasting, adding water if
necessary.)
...Rinse turkey inside and out with cool water; pat dry. Turn wing tips under
turkey (if you've never done this, it's a little like folding his arms behind
his back, straight-jacket style). Plunk the turkey into the roasting pan
atop the celery rack. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over turkey, throwing
some into the turkey's body cavity and reserving a little for under the
skin; twist off 1/4 bunch parsley and toss it, long stems and all, into the
turkey cavity with the reserved pieces of celery, carrot, onion, and celery
leaves. (This flavors the turkey from the inside out and gets discarded
later.)
Carefully loosen skin over turkey breast with fingers, starting at the neck end of turkey, but do not detach.
Season under skin with a little salt and
pepper; arrange some fresh sage leaves under skin. (The pattern shows
through the skin of the roasted turkey.) Rub entire outside of bird
with the unsalted butter. If there's any butter left from the 2 Tablespoons,
throw it in turkey cavity. At this point, the turkey can rest at room
temperature up to 1 hour. Bringing the turkey closer to room temperature
helps it cook evenly.
Wipe your hands with paper towels to get rid of
the grease, then wash hands thoroughly with soapy water before touching
anything.
Add 1/4 cup water to roasting pan--aim for the veggies under the
turkey, not the turkey--and place the whole shebang (turkey, roasting
pan, cookie sheet, and all) in preheated 400F oven...
(Clean cutting board, sink, and any surfaces and utensils that
have touched the raw turkey with a mixture of bleach and water. About 3
parts water to 1 part bleach.)
Roast turkey at 400F until turkey skin begins to brown, about 50-55 minutes.
(If the oven is small, rotate the pan a half turn for even browning after
the first 30 minutes.) Baste with
Scarborough Fair Basting Sauce and, if turkey seems to be browning too
fast, tent bird loosely with foil. Return bird to oven, reducing heat to
350F. Continue to roast, basting turkey every 45 minutes with Scarborough
Fair basting sauce, tenting with foil if necessary, turning the pan if your
oven is small, until a meat thermometer
inserted in thickest part of thigh not touching bone reads 180 degrees F. If
not done, baste turkey, tenting and turning if necessary, and return to oven for 25-30
minutes more. Roasting time varies depending on your oven, how cold the
turkey was when it went
into the oven, and the density of the turkey, but total roasting time is approximately
3 1/2 hours for a 8-12 lb bird, or for a smaller bird weighing 4-8 lbs,
approximately 1 3/4-2 1/4 hours. Let turkey rest 30 minutes before carving
so juices redistribute.
While the turkey roasts during the 400F period: If
you don't have a helper and have not yet dealt with the giblets, use this time to place the giblet pan on the stove
on medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until turkey neck and
onion starts to turn golden. When slightly golden add water to cover, 3-4
whole peppercorns, a torn sage leaf, and a whole bay leaf, and bring to boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours while turkey is roasting, adding
water if necessary. When it's done, strain, gently pressing spoon against
vegetables to press the flavor out; discard solids, tossing a few bits
of cooled of liver to the dog and cats. Transfer stock to
shallow plastic containers and refrigerate.
When giblets are on their way to a simmer, prepare the Scarborough
Fair basting sauce so you'll be ready for the first basting: melt butter
called for in the recipe and
stir in the herbs as directed; keep warm to use to baste turkey every 45 minutes,
using turkey baster or pastry brush. If you have neither, use a large spoon:
for each basting, spoon 2-3 Tablespoons Scarborough Fair basting sauce over
the turkey, rubbing it with back of spoon to distribute the sauce evenly.
Also prepare side dishes that cook on the stove now, if you haven't
already, and begin prepping oven side dishes.
How to tent a turkey with foil: Tenting a turkey means just that;
tear off a piece of foil about 1/3 longer than the roasting pan. Crease to
make a "tent" and place over the turkey so that the turkey is completely
under the tent and the ends are open to allow the heat in. Secure lightly by
pinching foil to sides of roasting pan (don't burn yourself), and adjust
center of tent so it's barely touching the turkey. If you have an electric
oven, make sure it clears the heating element; you may have to move the oven
rack down a notch or two.
Creative variations: Instead of putting the sage under the skin of
the turkey, you can crumble the sage with salt and pepper and rub it over
the turkey, then rub the turkey with butter. But the turkey looks and tastes
better with the under the skin method, and it's easy enough for a novice
cook to handle.
What to do with leftover turkey: Remove turkey meat from carcass to
store in fridge (Ziploc bags are excellent for this). Leftover turkey is
excellent in
Jinjer's Secret Day-After-Thanksgiving
Chicken Enchiladas Made with Turkey or in
Magical Corn Chowder.
If you want to make stock or soup, put
the turkey carcass in a large pot with a chopped onion (peel and all--it
colors the stock nicely--just wash it well), 2 carrots, 3 stalks celery, a
bay leaf, some parley if you have it left from making the meal, and six
peppercorns. Add cold water to cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 2 hours.
Strain, package in shallow containers, and cool in fridge. Any fat will rise
to the top and can be skimmed off later. Use as a base to make soup or in
recipes calling for chicken stock.
Cooked turkey, or in prepared dishes, keeps a total of 3 days in the
refrigerator, so plan accordingly. Turkey meat freezes well so if you
think you won't be able to use it in time, package it a day or so after
Thanksgiving (squeeze all the air out of Ziplock freezer bags), label it
with the date, and throw it in the freezer. It will keep in the freezer for
about a month without losing flavor or texture.
Recipes ©2004
Randi Reed
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