Bird and Bread

Velletri Yesterday, we passed along some recipes for first courses on Thanksgiving but it’s time to get into the meat of the dinner – literally and figuratively.

First up, let’s talk turkey.

I must confess that I do not like to touch raw turkey, so, I have never been the one to cook the turkey in our household. Over the years, Luisa has tried a number of recipes for roasted turkey and she always comes back to this one. The recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen. You have to join to get the full recipe so I don’t think it is wise for me to include the whole thing here. I don’t need a Thanksgiving lawsuit. You’ll get the idea.

Herbed Roasted Turkey

• 1 1/4 cups chopped parsley
• 4 tsp minced thyme
• 2 tsp chopped sage
• 1 1/2 tsp minced rosemary
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 minced garlic cloves
• 3/4 tsp grated lemon zest
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Brine yo turkey. Dissolve salt in 2 gallons of water in a giant stock pot and plop your bird in there and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.

2. When it’s done, rinse it and dry it. I think you actually have to touch it so you’re on your own there.

3. Use a food processor to make a paste of the ingredients listed above but adding the mustard and oil after everything else is all pulverized.

4. Pre=heat the over to 400 degrees and get a big old roasting rack and cover it with foil and poke holes in it.

5. Loosen the skin from all the turkey parts and take some of the past and smear it underneath the skin. Then, make a couple slits in the breast and shove some paste in there. Rub some inside the cavity too.

6. Flip the bird (not in a naughty way) and slip it under the skin on that side too.

7. Flip it back over and apply remaining paste to the skin on the breast.

8. Roast that baby until the breast is 165 degrees and the thigh is 170 to 175. Cooking time will depend on the size of your turkey.

We don’t stuff our turkey but I do love stuffing/dressing/filling/whatever you want to call it.

Next up: Potato Bread Filling…