It’s nearly Thanksgiving, and next week our work will begin. Thanks to my son and his family, they have taken on a lot of the work usually associated with this holiday and have gotten to be experts at celebrating it! They sort of have open house as they invite friends, and relatives and friends of friends…truly sharers of the season. In fact, one year, we had several young men who were in basic training at Lackland who were able to come with a relative who also was in basic in San Antonio. We always have a wonderful crowd who seem to be able to get along with one another even with sometimes generation gaps and everything that goes with having a large crowd. And, besides all this, his yard is large enough for a crowd, and they always have enough tables and chairs. When we do have part of the group indoors, there are always table games going on in the dining room and may have anywhere from four or five people playing to ten or twelve, depending on what game is in progress.
My latest rant for the year is that once again “they” have changed the size of cake mixes and are telling us that we get the same size cake from a 13.25 box of cake mix as we used to get from the 15.25 size, and they told us that same phrase, when the box size changed from 18.25!!! Yes, you get the same amount of servings, but they are much smaller and thinner than they used to be. Ladies, watch your cake mix sizes this year or you may have a big mess on your hands! Personally, I’m about ready to go back to getting out my old favorite, “Betty Crocker Cookbook” and start making cakes from ‘scratch’ like I did in the good old days.
Even though the turkey is the largest of the game birds native to North America, we no longer must depend on our husbands, fathers, sons or brothers (or ourselves) to go out and shoot a turkey for us for Thanksgiving, with all the attendant work. Nor, do we have to raise one in a pen or flock and then have to worry about getting a husband, son or other male in the family (or ourselves), to set about the task of butchering it for Thanksgiving as our grandmothers had to do. Have you ever cleaned a turkey? Believe me, it is a tremendous amount of work, been there, done that! And, if the amount of work you have already done isn’t enough, you still have to determine how long to cook the bird to get it tender.
The turkey was domesticated and bred by the Aztec and Zuni Indians, and turkeys were used not only for food, but also for sacrifice. These Indians used the feathers for adornment and for charms.
The Spanish conquerors first saw the turkey around 1492 and by 1530, the Mexican species was introduced to Europe. Any and all of the varieties bred today are descendants of the original North American wild turkey, Meleagris gallopava. There are several subspecies of wild turkey that have been recognized, and their range is from Mexico to northern New England.
When the colonists arrived in New England, they discovered an abundant supply of food in the form of the wild turkey. Since the first American Thanksgiving, (at which, I am told, they really did not serve turkey), the turkey has become the traditional symbol of this holiday.
The wild turkey has diminished in numbers since those times. However, here in Texas, it is hunted every year during the regular hunting season and in some areas during a spring turkey season. Most usually it is only the male turkey, or a turkey with a “beard” that can be shot, and you must have a hunting license to do so.
The turkeys available in our grocery stores are commercially raised ones that are raised with special feeds, etc. Almost all the time, the commercially raised turkeys are a white variety. They are also almost listed as ‘broad-breasted’.
It was formerly believed that a Tom turkey was not as tender as a hen, but now, it really doesn’t matter as they are all raised the same way. The main difference I have found is in the matter of weight. A Tom will most always be heavier than a hen.
One of the better inventions of the past few years has been the built-in timer! This surely is a big help for novice cooks (or older ones also for that matter). Another great stride is the self-basting or pre-basted turkey. This type of turkey has oil or butter injected into it so that no basting is necessary while it is baking. If you do not care for the idea of the extra fat this brings to a turkey, do not buy that type. You can compensate for that extra oil or butter by either baking your turkey in an oven bag, or, you can saturate a clean piece of cloth (muslin, a large square from an old sheet or half of a tee shirt, (no writing or pictures on it, please), with melted margarine and after placing your turkey in a pan, cover it with the cloth. You will still have to baste with pan juices occasionally, but not as frequently as if you didn’t do this. Of course, if you used the baking bag, you do not have to do any basting at all!
As for the size turkey you need, one pound of meat per person should be allowed, or one and one-half pounds if you want leftovers. Next, you need to know that a 12 to 15 pound bird will take no less than three whole days to thaw in the refrigerator, and if your refrigerator is really cold, you will need more thawing time. You should estimate one full day (24 hours) for each five pounds of turkey, and ALL defrosting should be done in the refrigerator. Once the turkey is thawed, remove the neck and giblets from the body cavities. Thoroughly rinse the inside and outside of the turkey. Drain well and pat the outside dry. Season the inside with salt and pepper and stuff with dressing if this is what you are going to do. If you elect not to stuff the bird, several slices of onion and a couple ribs of celery, or an apple cut into quarters, will help season the turkey.
Bake the turkey at 325ºF until a meat thermometer registers 170ºF to 175ºF. The inside juices should be clear when you pierce the skin and the joints should move freely. The average cooking time for a 10 to 18 pound, un-stuffed turkey 3 to 3½ hours.
Do not roast at too low a temperature and do not partially cook, intending to finish cooking later, as this will allow bacteria to grow. When baking a turkey with the timer/thermometer, follow the instructions on the wrapper from the turkey, and if you would feel safer, go ahead and test with a meat thermometer.
There are probably as many dressing/stuffing recipes as there are cooks making Thanksgiving dinner. You can buy a packaged mix, or make your own. The main thing to remember is do not mix the dressing up the day before! You can chop and sauté the onions/celery you use in it and refrigerate, you can break up the cornbread or bread and season it with the salt and pepper and other spices, but DO NOT add the liquid ingredients, such as eggs or broth until just before you are ready to bake it.
Cornbread Dressing
4½ cups crumbled corn bread
2½ cups day old French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium chopped onion
1½ cups chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 cups broth or milk
Turkey giblets and neck or 1 pack chicken giblets and hearts, or 1/2 pound ground meat or pan sausage (if desired)
Boil turkey or chicken parts until tender. Chop or grind and set aside. If using ground meat or pan sausage, cook in a skillet until nicely browned, drain well and set aside. (Some people prefer to keep the giblets and use them in the gravy; I like to grind them and use in the dressing).
Make cornbread using 2 cups cornmeal/flour, or use one or two of the packages that need only milk and added to them and bake according to package directions in and 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan. This can be done a couple days ahead of time. When cool, crumble and place in bowl in fridge.
Allow bread to dry out slightly, crumble and add to cornbread. When ready to assemble, add meat (if used), sauté onions and celery in margarine until tender. Add to cornbread mixture. Add parsley and seasonings. Add beaten eggs and broth and mix well. If it does not seem moist enough, add more broth. Place in baking pan and bake at 350ºF until golden brown and set. If it looks dry while baking, add more broth or milk. Dressing can be made using canned vegetable or chicken broth instead of the turkey broth from cooking the giblets if you want to save that for the gravy. And, though I prefer homemade gravy, the packages of turkey gravy mix from Pioneer® are really tasty.
Desserts and sides next week!
