Cheap Eats:
The Turkey Recipe
If Benjamin Franklin had had his way, you'd be saluting your Thanksgiving turkey instead of slicing it. Franklin thought the turkey, not the eagle, should have been our national bird, because "The turkey is...a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original Native of America." The crafty wild turkey of which Franklin wrote was certainly more respectable than the silly domesticated fowl with which most of us are familiar, so this was not the insult it might seem.
The first Thanksgiving in North America was celebrated in the autumn of 1621. On December 26 of the previous year, the 102 Mayflower refugees had landed at Plymouth Rock. Arriving in winter was devastating. Between cold and starvation, a large segment of their small band perished.
But spring came — and so did friendly Indians, who helped them figure out how to grow and eat new stuff. By the autumn of 1621, the handful of Pilgrims were doing much better. William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony, called for a day of thanksgiving after the colonists' first harvest. He wanted to invite their new friends, so he sent a message to Chief Massasoit to come for a party.
Massasoit arrived with 90 men, the guests outnumbering their hosts. Quickly assessing the situation, Massasoit turned and pointed to the woods. Several of his men disappeared among the trees, returning in short order with 5 deer, which they added to the food the Pilgrims had provided.
In addition to the deer, there were quail, ducks, geese, clams, oysters, eels, lobsters, greens, bread, corn, wild plums — and maybe wild turkey. They sang songs, the Indians danced, the Pilgrims played ball, and they had various contests among the men. The party lasted for 3 days (the first New England RG?).
Another thanksgiving day in 1623 celebrated rainfall after a drought. After 1630, a day of thanksgiving came to be observed every year after the harvest, and other New England colonies gradually adopted the practice. The custom was adopted in the South in 1855.
Thanksgiving Day was officially proclaimed a national holiday by President Lincoln in 1863. Traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday in November, it was changed by act of Congress in 1941 to the 4th Thursday.
So now we eat Ben's bird on one of America's oldest holidays. But maybe you'd like a new way to attack your turkey. Here's my favorite way to prepare this fowl; it's good hot, cold, and even in leftovers. Plus, if you make soup from the carcass, you don't have to add any additional seasonings.
The Turkey Recipe
The following amounts are for turkeys of approximately 15 lb. — if your bird is bigger, increase accordingly.
On the day before the turkey is to be cooked, wash and dry the turkey thoroughly. (It can still be slightly frozen, if you're thawing one out.) Mix together the following:
2 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
2 Tbs. garlic powder
4 Tbs. paprika
2 Tbs. mixed herbs (I use Rosemary and Thyme, though you could choose Basil and Oregano to make it more Italiano)
Add just enough water to turn this into mud. Rub this "paste" all over your turkey, inside and out. When turkey is pasted, cover with foil and place in refrigerator until you're ready to stuff and cook it.
When you're ready to roast the turkey, stuff it with your favorite stuffing (I like Pepperidge Farm herbed stuffing, cubes not crumbs, and I will sometimes add walnuts, chopped onion, and/or chopped celery, but with so much seasoning on the turkey, you don't really need to pep up the stuffing much) and place turkey in your roasting pan.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Dot turkey with butter — about half a stick will do — and pour in half a bottle of white wine. If you don't want to use wine, use chicken broth and unsalted butter. The wine can be relatively cheap, since there is nothing delicate about this recipe. Cover the roaster completely with foil, so turkey steams in the wine.
As soon as you put turkey in oven, turn heat down to 325°F. About an hour before it's done (see approximate cooking times below), begin basting occasionally. Half an hour before it's done, remove foil, so the skin can brown. If you need more liquid, you can add more wine. Baste frequently (about every 10 min.) until done. Done should be to an internal temp. of 180° to 185°, or the juice runs clear when you prick the skin, or until that little pop-out timer you sometimes get shoots out.
Cooking times: allow 20-25 minutes/lb. For turkey over 16 lb., it's 18-20 minutes/lb. Deduct 5 minutes per pound if you don't stuff your turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving.
