Brined and Roasted Turkey with Herb Butter

I know what you're thinking.

"Um..it's AFTER Thanksgiving...and for that matter, Christmas was nearly a week ago...what in tarnation is she doing cooking a turkey???"

Well...I've had a 17 pound turkey in my deep freezer since last November.  As in November of 2008.   And I was starting to feel guilty because I hadn't cooked it yet.  Hadn't even thought about it.  Believe it or not, I was rather intimidated at the thought.  After all, we go out of town for Thanksgiving every year, and I had no reason to cook a 17 pound turkey. 

But my husband is in the middle of a major renovation in our house right now, and my FIL is here helping.    (I'll post about it later on my other blog).  David thought if I cooked the turkey, then we'd have lots of leftovers...along with the 6 pound ham I made Christmas Eve (and there's plenty of that still in the fridge too).  This seemed like a good idea. 

So I dug the big bird out, and starting thinking about how to roast it.  And I started praying too (is there a novena for nervous cooks?)  I knew I shouldn't be anxious...but I admit it...I was a wreck until I got the turkey in the oven.  I freaked out again while making the gravy.  But I remembered to breath...and everything turned out fine, better than fine actually.  This turkey was probably one of the best I've ever had...in the top 3 for sure. 

I'm going to show you how to brine your turkey...and I really believe you should do this.  The brine (essentiallly a salt solution) is absorbed by the meat, thus rendering it juicer and more favorful than if you simply roasted the turkey.  I brined and roasted a chicken not too long ago, and I'll never not brine a whole bird again...it was simply delicious. 

All right, enough talk.  Let's talk turkey...I mean...let's roast turkey!

Brined and Roasted Turkey with Herb Butter

adapted from The Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated 

 FOR THE BRINE:

2 gallons water

2 cups table salt OR 4 cups kosher salt

FOR THE TURKEY:

1 completely thawed turkey (mine was 17 pounds)

1 stick softened butter

2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped, plus 4 whole leaves

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped, plus 6 whole stems

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped, plus 2 whole stems 

salt and black pepper

1 medium carrot, coarsly chopped (I just used some baby carrots)

2 stalks celery, coarsly chopped

3 medium onions, coarsly chopped

1 medium navel orange, quartered

Let's start with the brine.  You'll want to make it the day before you plan to roast the turkey.

In a large, clean bucket or cooler, stir the water and salt together until the salt is completely dissolved.  I realize you might liked to have seen a picture of the brine itself...but hey, it's just very salty water, okay?

Take the turkey out of it's packaging and remove the neck and giblets.  (Save 'em for gravy if you'd like). 

Rinse the turkey thoroughly inside and out with cold water. Immerse the turkey in the brine and set in a cold place (40 degrees or less) or in the fridge for 4-6 hours.  We put some ice in the cooler (not too much...we didn't want to water down the brine) to make sure it stayed cold enough. 

After 4-6 hours, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels, inside and out.  Set on a rack over a shallow pan large enough to hold the turkey...

and place uncovered in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. 

This drying process will ensure a nice, golden brown bird with crisp skin...and there isn't anything wrong with crisp turkey skin...in my opinion anyway ;-). 

When you're ready to roast, sprinkle the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper, and toss in 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Ttake one third of the carrots, celery, and onions and stuff them into the main cavity of the turkey, along with 2 whole sage leaves, 3 whole thyme stems, 1 whole rosemary stem, and the orange quarters (not shown...they were camera shy...sorry ;-). 

Now take the finely chopped herbs (the sage, thyme, and rosemary), and mix it with the rest of the butter, along with plenty of salt and pepper (I'd say about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper) until well combined. 

Carefully loosen the skin of the turkey under the breast, as far into the thigh and drumstick as possible.  Use your hands to push the herb butter under the skin...again going as far as you can...being careful not to tear the skin.  I wish I could have taken a pic for you...but my hands were rather messy. 

At this point, we need to truss the turkey.  My turkey's drumsticks were already held together with a nifty little plastic contraption, but the wings needed to be tucked under the breast and held close to the sides of the turkey so they wouldn't overcook.  So all I did was use a piece of cotton twine.  I'm not sure I can adequently tell you how to truss...so here's a video tutorial courtesy of Alton Brown...it's really easy, I promise. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQB7D_xB0I

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and move an oven rack to the lowest position. 

Have a large roasting pan ready to go.  Scatter the rest of the carrots, celery, and onions in the bottom of the pan, along with the rest of the whole herbs and 1 cup of water.  I had a roasting pan that belonged to David's grandmother, but it wasn't big enough.  I was able to borrow one from my friend Mary at the last minute...thanks girl!

Set your v-rack in the pan.  You really need this to elevate the turkey properly...a small flat rack works fine too), and place the turkey breast side up. 

Melt the rest of the herb butter in the microwave and brush half of it over the bird.  Flip the turkey over and brush with the last of the butter.  Leave the turkey breast side down and place in the oven. 

Roast the turkey breast side down for 2 hours, basting once per hour with the pan juices. Here's what our turkey looked like at this point.

Using a couple of wads of paper towels, carefully flip the turkey breast side up...

baste with the juices, and roast until the thigh registers 165 with an instant read meat thermometer (this is what the USDA recommends).  The turkey should be a deep golden brown...if it starts to get too dark, tent loosely with foil.

Here's the things folks. Your roasting temperature and time really depend on the size of your turkey. I felt after reviewing the directions in The Best Recipe that the recommended temperature of 250 degrees would not only take forever, but would result in a dry turkey. Right as I was contemplating...a good friend of mine called. Julie has cooked about 20 turkeys in her lifetime, and she and I settled on a temperature of 315 because my oven runs a tad hot (othewise, I would have roasted it at 325). Here's a turkey cooking guide from allrecipes.com that I feel is pretty accurate:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Turkey-Cooking-Time-Guide/Detail.aspx

My turkey weighed 17 pounds, and it was done in 3 hours, 45 minutes.  Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. 

WOW!!! Isn't she a beauty? 

My father-in-law is the designated carver in the family.  So we handed him the electric knife, and he did a lovely job.  I'm sorry (again!) becauseI have no pictures of cut up turkey...I was too busy whisking the life outta the gravy...which also turned out awesome.  The breast meat was perfectly cooked...juicy, flavorful, and tender; the dark meat was succulent to say the least.  Joshua ate one of the drumsticks...the entire thing...and the rest of the kids declared Mommy's turkey to be "yummy!"  My FIL said it turned out "just fine," which for me, was the highest of praise :-). 

I felt such a wave of relief after dinner...I really don't know why I was so nervous about cooking a turkey.  I suppose every cook worth their salt has one phobia...I guess mine was turkey.  So now I can say I know how to roast a turkey...successfully...and PHEW...I need a margarita!

So don't turn tail and run away from a turkey...if I can do it...you can too! God bless your table tonight!

Turkey Sliders with Caramelized Onions

Some people don't like going to the grocery store.  I can understand that.   There's simply too many options, and if it's late in the afternoon, the store is full of crazed people hurrying to buy what they need for dinner (I've done that plenty of times myself).  If you go late at night (which I've also done), those darn checkers who are always high school age can't seem to ring up things on special correctly.

But...I have to say...I love grocery shopping.  I collect all the grocery flyers, and armed with paper and pencil, I plan out what I want to make for the next week or so.  This doesn't happen every Tuesday (when the flyers come in the mail), but I usually make up a good list of ideas every 2 weeks.

Last week, we needed the basics...milk, bread, eggs, orange juice.  We got to the store--Gabriel always holds the list for me, and headed for the bread aisle. 

Once there, I grabbed our usual, 100% whole wheat sandwich bread, and started towards the dairy case for milk.  And then I stopped. 

Now I know a package of little sandwich buns might not stop traffic.  But they got me thinking. 

My kids love it when I make smaller dishes for them, like mini meatloaves, cupcakes, pancakes, and mini muffins.  I decided to make turkey sliders, and cook down some onions because my hubby loves 'em.  He'll eat onions raw or cooked with just about anything.  Except brisket.  Don't ask him why...he just just doesn't. 

The trick to ground turkey is to add moisture and cook it quickly, otherwise it will be dry, since turkey doesn't have a high fat content either like ground beef.  That's why we add grated apple to the turkey :-). 

So here's a fun recipe your big kids (aka husbands) and little kids will love! And it's healthy too...just don't tell anyone. 

Turkey Sliders with Caramelized Onions

1 pound ground turkey (90/10)

1 medium apple, finely grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1  1/2 teaspoons poulty seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon allspice

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 package (12 count) slider buns/small rolls

tomatoes, lettuce, and other toppings/condiments of choice

Let's start with the onions.  In a small skillet over low heat, saute the red onions in olive oil for 30-45 minutes until they're very soft and caramelized.  About 10 minutes in, season with some salt and pepper to taste.  This is time-consuming, but it's worth the effort.  I get a big kiss from my hubby whenever I make these.  Plus you can make them ahead of time, and just reheat when needed. 

Turkey is next!  In a large bowl, combine the turkey, grated apple, garlic, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, allspice, and parsley.  Mix gently until combined, but don't overdo it.

As a side note...use the small holes on your grater to grate the apple.  The large holes will be too big...the small bits of apple will mix more easily into the turkey. 

You can shape the little burgers by hand, but I like using a mold.  For regular sized burgers, I use a peanut butter lid; this time I used a lid from a large spice jar.  Next time, I want to try something just a little bigger...I forgot the burgers would shrink a little after cooking. 

Just take a piece of plastic wrap and line the lid. 

Scoop the turkey mixture in and pack it in gently. 

Then unmold onto a plate.  Easy as pie!

Continue with the rest of the turkey mixture.  I ended up with 11 patties...you may or may not get the same number. 

The day I made these, it was cold and rainy outside, so I fired up my indoor grill pan.  You can pan-fry these or stick 'em under the broiler if you don't have a grill pan.  These will take about 3-4 minutes per side...be sure not to overcook them or they'll be dry.  I made these in the afternoon and reheated them for dinner. 

For those fancy grill marks...just rotate the burgers 90 degrees after 2 minutes.  But I only did it for y'all...the kids could care less. 

David, Rebecca and I like everything on our burgers.  The rest of the kids just like cheese and ketchup.  I cut a slice of cheese small enough to cover the patty and used roma tomatoes (since they're smaller).  Feel free to make your burger the way you want ;-)

I made ours like this.  Lettuce and turkey...

Cheese, tomato, and pickles...

And some caramelized onions...yum!  The kids like to add ketchup/mustard themselves. 

Then the cap...and don't forget to open wide!

I made a plate for David "to go," only to realize he had a meeting at church that night, and dinner would be provided.  Oh well...guess I'll have to eat it ;-). 

In keeping with the heathly theme of this meal, I made Sweet Potato Fries and Roasted Broccoli on the side.  They're my go-to sides these days because sweet potatoes are good for you...and we have plenty of broccoli from the garden. 

These turned out really great...kid-friendly and easy to make in advance.  I wanted to post this last week, but figured it was too soon after Thanksgiving, and nobody wanted to be anywhere near any form of turkey. 

Hope you enjoy 'em, and God Bless your table!

Turkey Bolognese

There are those rare days I really wish my hubby liked pasta as much as I do.  But he doesn't.  And for the most part, I'm okay with it.  I decided to try making a really meaty sauce, (since David is a carnivore) and see how it would fare at our dinner table.

The one thing I didn't want to do was make it with ground beef.  I am trying to keep the meals lighter for the time being because I know the holidays are upon us, and I can't guarantee David and I won't have a few pieces of that Halloween candy ;-).  I used 80/10 ground turkey, and a little pancetta, and it worked just fine. 

The  one thing about bolognese is you can't rush it.  I let the pot simmer all afternoon, for 4 hours.  So this isn't something you can't start at 4:00 in the afternoon.  Make sure you put it together in the morning, to allow time for the sauce to reduce until it's really thick.  You'll have to turn the heat on your burner down to the lowest possible setting-- lower than low.  I tried to put mine on "low", but the bolognese started to stick to the bottom of the pot.  So low and slow, okay people?  If you can't get your burner low enough, transfer the pot to a crockpot and set it on low for 6-8 hours. 

Turkey Bolognese

8 slices pancetta, finely diced (can be found at the deli counter)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely diced/shredded carrot

1 cup finely diced/shredded celery

1 cup finely diced/shredded onion

2 pounds 80/10 ground turkey

salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 cups whole milk

2 cups red wine (use a decent bottle!)

2  28 ounce cans whole tomatoes packed in juice

In a large Dutch oven, brown the pancetta over medium heat.  You'll want to render out most of the fat, but it doesn't have to be crispy.

Pancetta is cured pork, simillar to bacon, but it's not smoked.  Don't substitute regular bacon for the pancetta, we're not going for that flavor this time.  You should be able to buy it at your deli counter.   

I used my mini food processor to shred the carrots, celery, and onion--this saved me a lot of time chopping.  Be careful and just pulse the vegetables until they are very fine...but not mush!   (When we finish this sauce, you'll see why everything had to be chopped very small). 

In french cooking, this is called a mirepiox, and we'll use it as the flavor base of our sauce.  Add the mirepiox to the pot and cook until softed, but not brown. 

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium low heat, cook the ground turkey, breaking it up into very tiny bits with a wooden spoon.  Don't let the turkey brown, we want it to stay soft, but past the raw stage. 

Add the mostly cooked turkey to the pot, along with any drippings.  Pour in the 2 cups of milk, and bring to a simmer.  Let the milk reduce until it is nearly gone, about 25-30 minutes; you will see just the fat remaining.  Be careful and don't let it burn...the burner will probabaly have to be on its lowest setting (or lower). 

Now pour in the wine (I used a cabernet sauvignon), bring to a simmer and reduce the sauce again until the wine is nearly gone...25-30 minutes.

I know it doesn't look like I used red wine, but I really did :-).  While we're simmering the wine away, let's prep the tomatoes.

Open both cans and use a large slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes (save the juice!).  Used your hands to gently squeeze each tomato-- letting the seeds and juice fall back into the can.  This will keep the tomatoes from squirting out all over you when you're chopping 'em up. 

Now you can dice the tomatoes up very finely.  Use your largest cutting board, preferable with a little trench around the edge so the tomato juice doesn't end up all over the place. 

Here's what the sauce looks like after the wine has reduced. 

Pour in all the tomatoes and the tomato juice. 

Bring back up to a simmer (this is the last time, I promise!).  The pot needs to be at a bare simmer.  There should be a few bubbles that break the surface, but it should not be bubbling all over...or it will reduce too quickly.  Slowly cooking this down (uncovered), will give the sauce, epecially the meat, a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. 

After 2 hours, this is what my pot looked like.  You can see on the sides where the sauce started, and how much it's reduced.  Oh, and you can give this a stir every once in a while.   As long as you keep it at a bare simmer, you shouldn't have to babysit it though. 

Continue to simmer the sauce until all, or nearly all  the liquid has evaporated.  This will take 3-4 hours, depending on your pot and your burner.  When it's finished, season with more salt/pepper to taste. 

Here's where I oopsied when I should have daisied.  I forgot to take a picture of the finished sauce, and only realized it after the dishes where done, and the remaing bolognese was already in the fridge.  So here's the finished sauce in a very nice plastic container :-).  

I  reduced the sauce until just a little liquid remained.  You can reduce it more if you'd like.  My sauce had already simmered for just over 4 hours.  I also wanted to see how the family would like it...hence my decision to leave it a tad loose...my kids like it that way. 

Once you're ready to serve, boil up your pasta according to the package directions.  I have tried various types of whole-wheat pasta, and just wasn't completely happy with the texture.  This time, we tried Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigati: 

This a white pasta with added fiber and calcium, but is lower in calories and slightly lower in carbs than traditional pasta.  I really liked it...and the kids did too. 

Back to the serious part...the eatin'!  Serve the pasta with a portion of the bolognese sauce on top, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. 

Yum....I could eat this every day...and I did...for 4 days.  There's still one serving left in the fridge..and that's after we ate it over past for 3 nights! 

I should mention here I made a double batch, so if you don't want to make a big pot, cut all the ingredient amounts by half.  This sauce freezes well too, so go ahead and make a double batch, freeze the rest, and save it for later.  Bolognese sauce makes a great base for spaghetti pie or lasagna, by the way. 

Just for kicks...here's a close up.   Mmmm!  The sauce will be very thick, but it will just melt away in your mouth. 

I  know, you can hardly stand it, right?   

I had to take the kids to their swim lessons the day I made this, so I left the pot on while we were gone.  When we came home, my gracious, the smell that hit us at the door...divine...I'm tellin' ya!  I hope you make this soon...and tell me how you liked it :-).

God bless your table tonight!