Pork and Chicken Ramen

A traditional Japanese dinner or lunch, that serves the appetite and the eyes. When properly executed, ramen is proof that a chef loves his patrons.

Broth

1 Pound chicken parts (no giblets), well washed

5 Pounds pork neck bones, well washed

2 Large leeks, cut lengthwise, and well washed

2 Carrots cut into large segments

2 Bay leaves

2 Crushed garlic cloves

1 sliced piece of ginger

Ramen

8 Ounces dried ramen curly noodles, boiled until al dente

3 Ounces baby spinach, blanched 2 minutes

1 Diagonally cut carrot segment, sliced vertically into equal thin slices

8 Sugar snap peas, pull string from stem ends, cut peas diagonally in half, and blanched 2 minutes

2 Large 6 minute free range soft-boiled eggs, peeled and soaked for 1 hour in equal parts light soy sauce and Marin

2 Diagonally thinly sliced scallions

2 Slices of broiled seasoned pork

Fresh tender shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced

4 blanched shrimp

Season hot broth to taste with:

Soy sauce

Rice wine vinegar

Marin

Fish sauce

Toasted nori pieces

Sesame seeds

Fried tofu

Bean sprouts

Kamaboko - Japanese Fish Cake

Optionally, brown sugar

Immerse chicken and pork pieces in ample boiling water for three minutes. Drain and wash with repeated rinses of cold water until water is clear.

Make a chicken and pork broth without salt by slowly simmering (low) chicken parts and pork neck bones, bay leaves, whites of leeks, garlic, carrots in cold water for five hours skimming the deep stock pot several times of scum. Use enough water to completely cover ingredients. Strain the stock and then refrigerate overnight to solidify fat. Remove all fat and pour off 90% of stock into a saucepan being careful to leave any solids in the bottom of the stockpot. If you want, clarify the broth.)

Cook the noodles al-dente in boiling water and immerse in cold water to stop further cooking. Divide the drained cooked noodles into two large portion bowls. Separately, and in turn, blanch carrots slices, spinach and snap peas.

Broil two seasoned thin pork cutlets (or use Char Sui) until just done on each side and keep in a warm oven. Sauté mushrooms in a little butter until tender.

Bring the broth to a boil and correct its seasoning with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce and Marin. Taste as you go while incrementally adding first soy, a little fish sauce, and then Marin first. Now add a bit of vinegar. Taste again. (Optionally also add a hint of brown sugar.) Ladle broth over noodles until bowl’s level just covers noodles.

To each bowl, attractively add the spinach, mushrooms, carrot slices, and snap peas each in a separate pile.

Ladle more hot broth over vegetables if they were added when cold. Drain the eggs, cut each one in half lengthwise and place in each bowl. Add a pinch of diagonally cut scallions, Kamaboko and sesame seeds. Arrange a slice of broiled pork. Serve the ramen with chopsticks and Japanese spoons. At the table, offer rice vinegar, lime wedges, soy and Shichimi Togarashi

Notes:

1. Shichimi Togarashi - Toasted sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, orange peel, white poppy seeds, Hungarian paprika, Chinese chiles, Szechwan peppercorns, ginger and toasted seaweed
2. kamaboko - Japanese Fish cake comes decorated in many styles and colors adding a touch of elegance

Tex-Mex Enchilada Chilli Blend

Chili Peppers are blended for fruity, spicy, and aromatic effects to build the best possible taste. Ancho, Pasilla and Guajillo make up the “holy trinity” widely used through out Mexican cuisine. Add the smokiness of the Morita (smoked Chipotle) and the subtle fruity flavor of the Peruvian favorite aji Amarillo with hints of raisin, passion fruit and mango imparts additional unique flavor to the blend. To extend the spicy of the blend, we added ground hot New Mexican pods. As a variation, I cut back on the portion of hot New Mexican chili and add a single half-dose of ground Caribbean red Habanero which contributes a strong floral aroma. Using the Caribbean red Habanero variety will also add additional citrusy - smoke flavor. By adding beef bouillon, the flavor deepens for a more Tex-Mex flavor. Many of these powders are available from the Savory Spice Shop.

1 part Ancho powder

1 Part Guajillo powder

1 Part Mulato powder
1 Part Pasilla Negro Powder

1 Part Morita powder or use Chipotle for added smokiness

1 part Aji Amarillo powder

2~5 Parts of mild or hot New Mexico ground chile pow­der

1~2 parts beef bouillon (start with 1 part as is salty)

2 parts garlic powder

Directions:

Over medium heat, make a flour and rendered pork fat (Manteca) roux. Stir in 2~3 tablespoons of chili powder mix. Add 2 cups homemade rich chicken stock stirring until smooth.  Cook on low for an hour, adding water as necessary. Corrent the seasoning using more of any specific ingredient as required including salt until the flavor is perfect. Add sour cream to mellow the end result, if desired.

Orrington Farms Beef Flavored Broth Base

https://migardener.com/store/pepper-carribean-red-habanero/

Notes:

1. Aji Amarillo Chile is also known as Aji escabeche and is sometimes referred to as Peruvian chiles or yellow peppers. They are from South America, predominantly Peru, where they are the most commonly used chile. The chile pods are 4-5 inches long and burnt orange in color. They have a thin flesh and are medium hot, rating a 6-7 on a heat scale of 1-10.
2. Anchos are the sweetest of all dried chiles. Also known as poblano when fresh, they are only a 1 on heat scale of 1 to 10. Anchos are the most commonly used chile in their native Mexico, long used to thicken sauces and spice up tamales. The dark rich color of the whole chile isn’t lost in the grinding. In fact, the rich burgundy color of ground ancho can be found in many spice blends.
3. Moritas, moras and Colorado chile peppers - Chipotles are fully ripened jalapenos, meaning they’ve been allowed to mature and turn red on the vine. They are dried by smoking and it takes about 10 pounds of fresh peppers to make one pound of dried. They register about 6 on heat scale of 1 to 10.
4. Ground Guajillo - In Mexico this chile is second only to the ancho in common use. This quajillo chile powder has a tangy, pleasantly sharp taste with hints of berry and pine. The guajillo rates at a 3-4 on a heat scale of 1-10.
5. Red Habaneros chiles -  are one of the hottest varieties of peppers known to man, measuring a whopping 175,000 to 300,000 Scoville units. That’s a 10 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. Underneath its superior heat level is a papaya and berry like flavor. Use ¼ teaspoon to start with, then taste.
6. Mulato - originates in Mexico and is similar in appearance to an ancho, but its flavor is sweeter and has smoky characteristics. This large, flat chile is chocolate brown in color and rather mild, rating a 2-3 on a heat scale of 1-10. Commonly used in mole.
7. Hot Red New Mexican - This chile is of the same variety grown in and around Chimayo, New Mexico. Only select New Mexican red chile pods are chosen for this excellent tasting gourmet powder. There is great care taken with the production as all the stems and seeds are removed before grinding, leaving a slightly sweeter and much smoother tasting chile powder.
8. The pasilla negro is called for in many traditional Mexican recipes. Fresh pasilla negro is known as a Chilaca chile but it is the flavor that develops as it dries that is sought after; rich and berry like with noticeable notes of herbs. This dark purplish brown chile powder rates a 4-5 on a heat scale of 1-10.

 

Dim Sum Spareribs (Pai Guat) with Black Beans

Dim sum is an integral part of Chinese cuisine  found all over China and in many parts of the West. Dim sum is usually served in the late morning through the early afternoon which  should be lingered over, in multiple courses which is a lively and varied meal. Pai Guat

2 Pounds pork sparerib tips¹, cut into bite size pieces, soak in cold water for several hours

1 Teaspoons  fermented  black beans )(Douchi), rinsed in water twice

1 Tablespoon Shao Hsing wine

1 Tablespoon Sesame oil

1 Tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch

1 Teaspoon MSG

Pinch of hot red chile flakes (Crushed red pepper)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 Tablespoons oyster suace (optional)

1/2 Teaspoon ground white pepper

1 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Teaspoons finely minced ginger (optional)

1 Teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients except black beans and red chile, mixing well in a stainless bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 2 hours.

Plate 3 tablespoon portion on a small bowl that will fit within your steamer. Top with a teaspoon of black beans and pinch of red chile. Cover and steam for 8~15 minutes until done. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Notes:

1. Sparerib tips available Chinese butcher (the tips of spare ribs have a significant amount of cartilage) but are meltingly tender, and fine gnawing when steamed.
2. aka pai kut (kuat)
3. Crushed red pepper is most often produced from cayenne peppers
   

Jalapenos Chiles Toreados and Mexican Spring Onions

These are served as a garnish with Mexican dishes such as tacos or enchiladas.

2 Tablespoon peanut oil

6-8 Jalapeños, washed and dried

6-8 Mexican spring onions

1 Tablespoon of lime juice

Sea Salt

Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Wait until the oil is hot and add the peppers and spring onions and let them fry, tossing frequently until they form light golden blisters on their skins. (Avoid burning less they become bitter.)

Pat fry on paper towels. Toss is serving bowl with lime juice and sea salt. Serve at room temperature.

Holiday Prime Rib Roast or New York Strip

Please read this recipe two weeks ahead. If dry aging you need to plan for the time it takes. Order you meat ahead of time so you have time to shop for a good price. Prime rib roast is available from grocery stores during the holiday season at a discounted price. The rib roast is available with or without bones.  When this roast has the bones in it is called standing rib roast.  Because the meat is always sweetest near the bone it is the preferred roast for prime rib.  Prime rib is an absolute favorite at my house for Christmas.  Prime rib is so good it needs very nothing more than salt-and-pepper and the right treatment.  The recipe is practically foolproof unless you plan to play a simultaneous round of golf or decide that this is a good time to finish off several bottles of wine. The New York Strip roast also is very tasty and is prepared essentially the same way.

 

Snakeriverfarms NY Strip Roast

A full rib roast  consisting of ribs 6 through 12 is often cut and sold as two separate roasts known as the first cut (small end) rib roast and the second cut (large end) rib roast. The small end rib roast includes ribs 9 or 10 through 12, which is next to the loin. The large end rib roast includes ribs 6 through 8 or 9 and is next to the chuck. The large end is very tender but its proximity to the chuck means that it is slightly less desirable than a first cut rib roast. A four rib roast should feed between 6 to 8 people on average. Each rib is approximately 2 pounds after trimming by the butcher. 

The words "Prime Rib" simply refers to a rib roast not that is graded "USDA Prime". Prime grade rib roast is rarely available to the generally public unless it is specially ordered. Most rib roasts sold in food stores are graded “Select". The next better grade is referred to as “Choice”.

 

Snakeriver Farms Standing Rib Roast

Wet Aged or Dry Aged, USDA Prime, Choice or Select Grades

 Dry aged beef is the best and available only through special order. Dry aging causes the beef to loose some of its weight while the meat flavor intensifies and is more beefy. Wet age beef is vacuum packed in plastic hence it is incapable of losing any of its weight to liquid loss.  Wet aging is inferior to dry aging but less expensive. USDA beef graded “Prime” is top quality and represents only about 2% of all the beef that is sold. Prime has the most marbling, which makes it the most flavorful and tender. USDA Prime Dry age prime rib is about $35 per pound. USDA Choice wet age prime rib is about $12 per pound and is still an excellent and tasty grade of beef. The typical grade found in most food markets is graded USDA Select which is much less costly than Prime and Choice but will not be nearly as flavorful or tender and is about $7 to 9 per pound but may be much less on sale during the holidays.

While some markets will hang your roast to dry age for free, many do not have the facility to do so. You can dry age your roast yourself for a 2 to 5 days uncovered in the refrigerator to bring out additional flavor and produce a more buttery texture. This allows the natural enzymes in the meat to break down some of protein and connective tissues in the meat. Trim off any dry spots before cooking.

The Slow-Cooking Method is the only one used here because it produces the best results. In the slow cooking method, the meat is seared at high temperature, then subsequently roasted at low temperature until its internal temperature reaches the degree of doneness.  When any cooked roast is removed from the oven, its internal temperature will rise.  For this reason, the roast is always removed at a temperature lower than the desired final target temperature.  The higher the oven’s roasting temperature, the greater this residual temperature rise will be. During the slow cooking method, the roasting temperature is only 220 F and the residual temperature rise is typically only five degrees.  (A roast cooked at 450 F may rise 25 F after removed from oven and it would be well done on the outside even if the inside were rare) The oven is initially preheated to 450°F for an initial searing of the roast. If you dry age your roast for a few days in the refrigerator, this initial high heat will ensure any surface bacteria is killed. 

Remove the roast from the refrigerator 2 hours ahead to allow it to come to room temperature. Pat it dry with paper towels and cover with plastic wrap. Adjust shelves in oven. Roast will go on lowest shelf. It is best to remove the upper oven shelf to get out of the way unless it will be needed for other purpose.

Remove plastic wrap from roast, pat it dry again, and rub with ample salt. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place the roast in an oiled roasting pan, rib side down and fat side up, and insert a meat thermometer in the geometric center of the roast but insure it does not touch a bone. Roast on high for 15 minutes. Open oven door for a few minutes to dump excess heat. Reset the oven temperature to 220 F. Now roast 25 to 30 minutes per pound, depending on the size of the roast until the meat reaches 5 below the desired internal temperature. I like the meat medium rare (130-135 F). The outer pieces of the roast will be more done than the inner pieces just in case are some diehard holdouts that do not eat rare roast beef.  Let the roast rest for 20 to 25 minutes before carving. Pepper the roast.

Anything this good deserves the finest freshly prepared horseradish sauce and an excellent wine.

Notes:

1. The roast is done when the internal temperature of the roast reaches the target temperature minus 5 degrees.
2. Some stores will dry age your beef for free if you prepay in advance. Ask.
3. Roast go on sale before big holidays and may be many dollars per pound discounted.
4. I let my guest pre-mix their own horseradish sauce by purchasing a hot grind and providing a premium sour cream such as Organic Valley or make your own cream fraiche.
5. Suggested wines: Old vine Petite Syrah, Claret, Burgandy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel. Choose a bold fruit forward version with strong tannins.
6. 
   

Sour Dough Apple Current Sage Dressing

This may be prepared the day before and considering the amount of work that goes on Turkey day, it is a very good idea to prepare a day ahead and store in a 2-1/2 gallon Ziploc bag. Under salt the dressing if it’s cooking in a brined bird. This dressing may also be used on any fowl or with pork.

Enough for one 25-pound Turkey. Preparation Time: About an Hour

5 stalks fresh celery, diced

2 yellow onions, peeled, diced

6 Roma Apples, cored, peeled, diced

12-ounce box of currents (like small raisins)

1 pound of golden raisins

½ ~ 1 pound of raisins

1 ½ ~ 2 loafs of extra sourdough bread¹, plastic wrapped,

processed with Cuisinar to medium breadcrumbs.

4~5 sticks of melted sweet butter

1 ½~2 tablespoons black pepper

Salt to taste (under salt if using a brined turkey)

3~4 tablespoons of ground sage (to taste)

Use a really giant bowl or use a stock pot. Make bread crumbs out of the sour dough bread a little at a time and process in the food processor not too fine. Peel and coarsely pre-chop onions and process in the food processor not too fine. Coarsely pre-chop the celery and process in the food processor not too fine. Peel and core apples and process in the food processor to raisin sized chunks or slightly larger. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Taste the blend. Add more sage if needed. Under salt the dressing if it’s cooking in a brined bird as the brining has salt in it. Tightly pack dressing into the neck cavity and main cavity of the bird. Follow directions for roasting a dressed turkey. Do not add any form of un-cook meat to dressing.  Any roasting error could prevent the internal temperature from reaching a sufficiently high temperature to kill any bacteria present. I suggest using a direct indicating thermometer stuck deep in the bird insuring that the internal temperature exceeds 140oF for at least 10 minutes. If you are preparing the dressing the day ahead, remove the dressing from the refrigerator the same time as the turkey, allowing it to come up to room temperature, if possible.

Cook any extra dressing in the oven in a tightly cover chaffing or casserole dish for 1 hour at 350F. (Add extra salt to extra stuffing not cooked in the bird, if needed, if you under salted for a brined turkey.)

Notes:

1. I do not use dry breadcrumbs or stale bread, as it is too difficult to chop in the food processor. Sour dough bread that is wrapped (either sliced or whole loaf) being a little moister make good bread crumbs in the food processor and does not require re-hydration. Buy the bread ahead of time so it is not sold out the week of Thanksgiving.

Holiday Roast Turkey

Read this entire recipe 2 weeks before you need to cook the bird and once again the day before! This allows you to preview the required equipment, see the need for a defrosted bird; can get any additional equipment needed. The recipe calls for dressing. Prepare dressing a day ahead as “Turkey day” begins early because of the extended cooking time of the bird. If you plan a turkey over 22 pounds, you probably need to order one two or three weeks ahead of time. I recommend you look over the Turkey Day Menu and shopping list as well

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family.

She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"

The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

Equipment for a dressed turkey

Set of metal turkey skewers (poultry trussing lacer kit)

Kitchen string

Small pair of scissors

Heavy tin-foil

18- by 13 by 3 ½ inch roasting pan¹

Dial thermometer (6~8 inches long)

An oven thermometer (check the oven temperature)

A fat separator

A bulb baster with an injector needle or hypo-syringe and needle

Hand towels

Paper towels

Pyrex measuring cup (melting butter)

Ample supply of dish and hand-soap

Paper towels

It is a good idea to do an inventory the week before, to see if you need to buy anything you have misplaced from last year. One item I often overlook is the metal turkey skewers which I buy in quantity once every five years; I could be running out again.

If your oven temperature is not accurate, the bird will either cook too quickly or take too long. You need to check your oven temperature with a quality oven thermometer. With some experience, you can adjust the cooking time, speeding up or slowing the process, as required, by raising or lowering the oven temperature by plus or minus 30 degrees.

The best part of a roast turkey certainly isn't just the turkey.  It's all the wonderful dishes that lubricate and complement a succulent bird.  By the time the turkey is carved and nestled amongst the cranberries, whipped potatoes, giblet gravy, candied sweet potatoes, savory creamed onions, and the rest of the fixings, dinner becomes indistinguishable from gourmet cuisine. Practically nothing you do can be more catastrophic then overcooking in a turkey.  The result will be dry and the meat will disintegrate off the bones.  No recipe is foolproof because fools are so ingenious.  Close attention to detail is an asset in the kitchen. Nothing is quite as appreciated as a finely cooked bird and many struggle for years before they manage to get it right. Follow these instructions carefully and you will have success your first crack at it. Cooking the turkey to perfection is practically impossible as the rate at which the white meat and dark meats cook is not exactly the same hence, it this recipe, we do a few things to compensate but the turkey legs may be slightly less than perfect while the rest is perfect. I think this is a good compromise. The breast of the turkey remains perfectly moist and succulent while the legs are slightly chewier at (160F) than if they had been cooked to 170^o F. The thigh meat is further down in the pan which seems to cook it slower than the legs.

Planning is Important

You will need to plan your turkey day. Nominally a 25 pound bird will cook for 8 hours and 20 minutes and the bird needs 30 minutes to rest after it comes from the oven. (The formula is 20 minutes per pound.) If you plan to eat at 5 in the afternoon, the bird needs to be in the oven by 9:00 AM. This means the dressing needs to be ready by 8:30 AM when you start assembling the bird, but the bird needs to be removed from the refrigerator and allowed to come up to room temperature, about an hour. Now we are at 7:30AM. How about that first cup of coffee? So make the dressing the day before and put it in two two-gallon zip lock bags so it’s ready to go turkey morning. When you take the bird from the refrigerator also remove the dressing. (It takes about an hour to make the dressing if you have a food processor, longer if the bread crumbs are being made with a blender or longer if you only have small bowls.) Cooking time on the bag the turkey comes in may not be correct. By using a temperature probe, not only is the progress observable, but prediction of completion time. The salient point, the dressing is the measure point and the turkey is done when the dressing reaches 140^oF.

Birds, birds, birds

Natural turkeys, free-range turkeys, organic turkeys, processed turkeys all mean slightly different things. You need to know what you’re looking for. In the United States, the USDA web site defines the requirements necessary for a turkey to have certain designations. In the notes below, there is a link to their web site which is applicable reading. Kosher and Halal designations are not part of USDA program but are products that undergo the rigors of religious over-site by Rabbinical or Muslin supervision. Kosher turkeys and most commercially available turkeys are usually brined or have been processed with salt. Adding any additional salt will make the bird excessively salty. Read the label on the turkey! If you are on a low-salt diet, you will need to either buy a turkey not brined or soak the brined turkey for at least 24 hours in water to draw off some of the salt. It is great if you have a sink or a five gallon clean paint bucket in a cold garage. Brining makes for a better-tasting bird.  Fresh turkeys are more convenient than frozen but a lot more expensive. Typically only the smaller birds are available fresh. The Butterball and other brands may be purchased pre-basted (injected) with chicken stock, margarine, salt and who knows what else. I don’t recommend a pre-basted turkey. When you baste your own bird you have total control over ingredient quality which is important. The tom’s birds are the biggest ones, which is what I buy.  The chicken stock could just as easily be turkey stock and home made. If making home made stock, omit any salt in the recipe. The sweet butter, likewise, has no salt. It you buy a frozen bird, it may take more than a week to defrost in the refrigerator. If you have less time, place the bird in two brown paper bags and leave it out two days in a cold place like you garage away from a hungry dog. This will jump start the defrost process. Bag the bird in several kitchen size trash bags so it will not leak and the bird can now go into the refrigerator another two days to finish.

Be mindful of Sanitation

Don’t forget to wash your hands. Clear a large section of counter space. As with handling any poultry, anything that comes in contact with the uncooked bird must be sterilized or removed to the dishwasher after its use. During the process of stuffing the bird, you may have occasion to wipe your hands on a towel. Be mindful what you have touched. Get out the dressing, melt the butter; basting needles and syringe get out the kitchen string, roasting pan, have hand-towels and paper towels handy, small pair of scissors, a dial thermometer, and the trussing kit with the metal skewers. Have the tin foil sections already out, cut to length, and available on the counter. You need a large section of tin foil for tenting the bird as it cooks, a 8 inch square to shield the front neck area where the dressing has been trussed. You need another smaller piece of tin foil to close off the main cavity dressing. I butter one dull side of the tin foil so it will not adhere to the bird during cooking. Put everything needed for preparation at easy reach including a stack of paper towels. You don’t want to have turkey hands and start handling cabinet handles, drawer pulls, or have to open the refrigerator.  Melt the butter in the microwave. Now proceed.  When the bird is ready to go into the oven, have someone open the oven door so you don’t have to do it with dirty hands else wash your hands first. After placing bird in the oven, put your hand towel(s) into the clothes washer, Wipe down the faucet, the handle to the dishwasher, disinfect the kitchen counters, and put the sponge you just used into the dishwasher. Wash your hands. Break out a fresh towel.

Pre heat oven to 325 F. Remove all oven racks but the lowest one.

Ingredients

One 25 pound turkey (see notes for cooking time)

3 sticks of melted sweet butter (reduce to 1 ½ cups if turkey is pre-basted)

3 cups of low-salt poultry stock (not needed if turkey is pre-basted)

Cooking syringe

A bulb baster

Cooking (trussing) thread⁷

Heavy tin foil

Large roasting pan (see text)

If making gravy, a fat separator is handy

Thermometer (see text)

Plenty of paper towels

Trussing kit⁷

The turkey comes in a plastic bag. The bag is full of juices so open it the sink. Remove the giblet and neck from the cavities inside the bird. Thoroughly wash turkey with cold water inside and out rinsing until no sign of red shows in the rinse water. If the bird was supplied with a plastic insert to hold the legs together, remove and discard it. Remove and throw away any large clumps of turkey fat clinging to the skin near the rear or front openings. Keep the tail even if loose – for some this is a favorite part. If a few quills are sticking out of the bird, remove them with pliers. The loose neck skin is needed to hold the dressing the front of the bird so make sure you leave the neck skin flap intact.  Place the turkey in a large flat roasting pan¹ at least three inches on each side larger than bird with sides at least three inches high. Dry the bird inside and out thoroughly with paper towels. Dry the bottom of the roasting pan of any residual liquids.

Set giblets and turkey neck aside for making the turkey stock for the gravy.

(See Steve’s Turkey Giblet Madeira Gravy recipe)

Tightly pack (see recipe for Sour Dough Apple Current Sage Dressing) dressing into neck and cavity of bird. Pin the skin of the neck area back on to the under side of the bird with the pins from a turkey trussing kit⁷ in 4~6 places. Try to insure that the pins avoid piercing into the main cavity of the bird else you may run your hand into one of these while fitting the dressing in the main cavity. Coat the bottom of the pan by brushing it with melted butter. Move turkey over the middle of pan. Fill the rest of the bird by tightly packing dressing into the main cavity. Press the initial handfuls back towards the neck opening and down into the back ribs. When the main cavity is almost filled, truss the legs by tying these tightly together with string toward the very end of the legs (1/2 inch back). After the legs are trussed (see picture), add more dressing between then until the main cavity is filled. Brush entire exposed outside of turkey with butter especially the neck flap area. Fold a piece of tin foil to a square to cover the neck flap area (fold of skin in the front) where the dressing is, as this easily gets done quicker and will otherwise burn. See top panel of long picture. Butter this  foil then place butter side firmly against the turkey. Trussing keeps the turkey together, which makes it cook more uniformly, rather than having the wings and legs dangle and become dry when finished. Make a loop of butcher string to tie the wings up and to each other. (Same loop is used for legs as wing shown in middle panel picture.) This will insure they stay close to the bird’s body. (see upper panel picture – note the string for the wings crosses straight across the front section of the bird.) Using the rest of the butter, inject it at a shallow angle into the bird breast, drummette (wings), thigh and leg areas. Come back and repeat with the chicken stock. The injected liquid should run out as the bird cooks so a course needle is preferred. These injections should be shallow and avoid going into the dressing cavity. Now tie the leg end tightly together. Cut off any extra string. If the tail is dangling, make a loop in another piece of butcher string, place loop around middle of tail section. Push it up, towards the legs. Tie the tail piece string to the leg string. Cut off any extra string. Make an open sized tin-foil “plug” for between the leg to cover dressing opening. Push it in. (See botton panel picture)

Cover breast and top of bird (tenting) with heavy tin foil. (The tin-foil helps regulate the rate the breast meat cooks.)  I fold a much larger piece in half and then make ½ side seems by folding these over on themselves, this make the foil heavier-still and allows you to more readily shape the foil to fit the contour of the bird’s topside. The foil will be placed over the top of turkey and down to the turkey legs but not tightly. You will repeatedly remove the tin foil to baste the bird so a more ridgid piece is handier. The tin foil top will be discarded the last hour of roasting to allow the bird to further brown.  I suggest using a direct indicating thermometer stuck deep in the dressing insuring that the internal temperature exceeds 140^oF for at least 10 minutes. If you don’t have this type of thermometer, use an instant reading thermometer. You don’t have to worry about the bird’s temperature until the last hour or so of cooking when testing for doness occurs.

Roast at 325 oven 20 minutes per pound for the best results. If you must shorten the cooking time, raise the temperature, to 350 F but only after the first two hours.

Basting while Cooking

Basting a bird is a ritualistic enterprise at best. It allows the chef the opportunity to confirm the fact that he was diligent to turn ON the oven this time! The site of a roasting bird seems to have a calming effect which may counteract the anxiety of having Aunt Martha over who  will describe in excruciating detail every ailment she has had for the last 22 years. So if basting a bird, cook the turkey for two hours then begin basting. (You could just tell Aunt Martha your coming to baste the bird while actually refilling your egg nog.) Baste bird every thirty minutes with juices from the pan. If the color of the bird the last hour of cooking is too pale, increase oven temperature to 375. If the turkey is already looking a bit dark leave tin foil on until last half hour of cooking.

After cooking, let the turkey stand ½ hour before carving. (smaller turkeys less time) Cut off the strings to carve. Put several potholders under the narrow edge far side of the roasting pan so the juices all run to the near edge. This will allow the run-off to be easily collected toward finishing the gravy.

So Turkey day is finally here

Dad’s a basting and drinking beer

Bird’s in the oven, roasting fine

Friends are over drinking wine

No one can find the cat

Patty’s wearing a funny hat

Dog awaiting for what might drop

Children running, they never stop

Pie’s are made and properly plated

Casey’s asleep well satiated

Fixing Problems:

Sometimes the tail is not attached any longer as it became dislodged during processing. Soak a wooden squewer in water for 20 minutes, then spear the side of the turkey near the tail area, through the detached tail and through the far side taking great care that the extreamly point end does not also pierce your hand!

About Dressings

Any dressings that includes uncooked meat, seafood or fowl are potentially risky. It is really not a big deal to sauté the uncooked meat, seafood or fowl in some butter and onions before assembling the dressing which virtually eliminates any potential risk associated with cooking a dressed bird. I don’t think it in anyway compromises the quality of the dressing.

Finished Results

Notes:

1. Roasting pan recommendations exclude a tin foil pan! First mistake with a baster will pour hot butter all over the hot interior of your oven immediately resulting in a major conflagration which may require a visit from the local fire department to quench.  If you're lucky the house will remain. A good roasting pan is NOT TEFLON coated. The nice caramelised bits do not form on teflon pans so, if gravy is more important than clean up, find a metal pan. The ideal roasting pan should have a dimension of 18 x 13 by 3 ½ inches, with vertical or with folding handles. Much larger and it will not fit in most refrigerators. Smaller sizes promote splatter while basting and may have trouble accomodating a twenty-five pound bird.
2. Slow Thawing Turkey: Slow and 100 % safe thawing may be done in the refrigerator but  requires at least 24 hours for every 4 pounds of weight which is about a week for a 25 pound bird. Once thawed in the refrigerator, it can remain refrigerated for several days before cooking. Place the bird in a plastic garbage bag to insure it does not leak all over other food.)
3. HEN or TOM TURKEY – The sex designation of "hen" (female) or "tom" (male) turkey is used as an indication of size rather than tenderness.
4. KOSHER – "Kosher" may be used only on the labels of turkeys that are prepared under Rabbinical supervision. Likewise Halal is the equivalent Muslim designation.
5. NATURAL – Turkey containing no artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, chemical preservative, or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient and is minimally processed.
6. for the USDA Web Site see: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Turkey_from_Farm_to_Freezer/index.asp
7. Trussing Thread, kitchen thread , butcher's string – a white sanitized string, usually cotton, for trussing fowl and tieing roasts.  Sometime a short piece is included in a trussing kit which also includes a set of heavy wire skewers about 4 ½ inches long for securing the bird’s neck cavity.
8. Approximate Cooking Time for 325F (based on 20 min per pound for a dressed bird):         (1/3 hour is 20 minutes)

Reguardless of the actual time, the bird is done when the internal temperature of the bird reaches 140 F for 10 minutes. At this point, the bird has already somewhat turned a golden brown on top even if you have inadvertently have left the tin foil off. It will be golden brown to some extent when it’s at the right temperature. If the bird is at 150 F take it from the oven – it is done – avoid over cooking!

9. Some stoves have front controls that when touched, can turn the oven off. Generally, these stoves have a means of locking the controls from accidental change. This means your plans to eat at a certain time will not be interrupted by finding out that the oven has been turned off by the three year old.