Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
For your Christmas turkey try this Wild Rice Cranberry Stuffing. Mashed sweet/Irish potatoes and breadcrumbs and even some brown rice for the health conscious makes a great substitute for the more expensive wild rice. - CONTRIBUTED
TURKEY IS a must on American tables for Thanksgiving dinner. In Jamaica, it is steadily becoming a favourite for Christmas dinner.
Food sought the advice of the executive chef at Beaches Negril, Michael Drummond, for tips on how to marinate, season and reduce dryness in your turkey.
TIPS FROM THE CHEF:
Do not just take the frozen turkey home and throw it in the freezer. You should thaw, season and marinate it first. Turkey should be marinated for at least a day before roasting. "This is to allow the seasonings to seep through and leave a nice flavour," explained Mr. Drummond. The mixture should be poured over turkey, and also rubbed inside and out of the bird.
To thaw, put frozen bird under cool running water for half an hour.
For the marinade, gather thyme, scallion, garlic, and all-purpose seasoning, such as Easy Spice or Mrs. Dash.
Chop the seasonings as finely as possible, and grind together, then mix in corn oil. "Any other vegetable oil can be used, however, corn oil has a longer shelf life, and that's what most chefs use," said Mr. Drummond. He also explained that when baking the turkey, the corn oil acts as a buffer between the heat and the turkey - giving it a nice, golden brown colour.
Mr. Drummond suggests that you bake the turkey with the skin on. "Though turkey is a wonderful meat, it is also the most coarse meat in the poultry family." When the skin is left on, the seasonings go through the skin and give the meat a nice, juicy texture." This process reduces some of the meat's coarseness.
FOR GARNISH
Garnishes enhance the presentation of the turkey on your dinner table. Sliced baked potatoes, a favourite of grandmothers, can make a nice garnish. Mr. Drummond, however, prefers to use canned cranberry sauce. "When turkey is eaten with canned cranberry sauce, it seems to make the coarseness disappear, and also makes it sweet."
Jerk Roast Turkey
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Baking Time: 3 1/2-4 hours
12 lb turkey, remove giblets
3 tbs. jerk seasoning
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup soya sauce
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. olive oil
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
1. Pat dry turkey, inside and out.
2. Loosen skin over turkey breast and leg using the fingers. Avoid tearing the skin.
3. Combine jerk seasoning, honey and soya sauce, rub over turkey inside and out.
4. Stuff the turkey with the spicy sausage stuffing (recipe below). Do not overfill as the stuffing expands during cooking and could split the skin if too tightly packed.
5. Mix the lemon juice with the olive oil and brush over the turkey.
6. Place the turkey on a rack over a roasting pan with water. Cover the breast with aluminium foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350ºF, then reduce the temperature to 325°F /160°C and bake for a further 3 1/2 hours.
8. Remove the aluminium foil, about 30 minutes before total cooking time.
Turkey is ready when golden brown. Serve with gravy, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and glazed carrots.
Serves 6-8.
Spicy Sausage Stuffing
3 lbs frankfurters, crushed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
METHOD
1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. Stuff turkey or other poultry.
- Recipe courtesy of http://www.gracefoods.com/site/recipe_display/?rn=410
TURKEY COOKERY NOTES
Do not allow a thawed turkey to stand at room temperature! Thorough cooking technically kills the germs than can make you very sick.
Never stuff the bird, of whatever variety, until you are ready to cook it! The microscopic bacteria that can multiply with amazing vigour within the depths of the turkey or other bird, thrive when there is something nice and succulent such as your favourite stuffing on which to feed.
If you purchase one of the occasionally available commercially prestuffed birds, never thaw it prior to cooking.
IF YOU COOK YOUR FROZEN TURKEY IMMEDIATELY...
1. Remove the wrappings. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow open pan.
2. Cook in preheated 180ºC/350ºF oven for one hour.
3. Take turkey from oven, remove neck and cook until done. The neck and chopped giblets can, of course, very nicely be simmered with the chopped onions, celery, with some leafy green tops, salt and ground black pepper, and other seasonings of your individual taste, to make a lovely gravy. This thickened later on with flour.
- Taken from the Exciting Recipes of the Kitchens of Grace Foods.
