Benjamin Franklin believed Turkey should be the national symbol. Here are some safety tips, stuffing ideas, and suggestions for Thanksgiving.
There is no easier, better and more nutritious way- it has the most amount of protein for the least amount of fat of any commercially available meat- of serving large amounts of people with meat than a large turkey with all the trimmings. A stuffed turkey on a platter means celebration or gathering, especially for Thanksgiving.
But there are many safety pratfalls to preparing a turkey. The main safety issue is the size, so its difficult to thaw and there’s often a lot left over.
Here are some safety tips:
- Buy what you need. Just because mom always had a large turkey doesn’t mean you should. Find out how many people are coming, how much they can eat and figure it out from there.
- Find out if everyone actually likes turkey, some people don’t and may want an alternative.
- If there are only two or three people then consider buying a fresh turkey breast.
- If you can order a fresh turkey from the butchers ahead of time that way you don’t have to worry about thawing it.
- If you buy a frozen turkey, the only safe way to thaw is in the refrigerator. This depending on the size of the turkey can take one or two days.
- Timing and planning are everything. You can’t rush this. Write it all down. Don’t forget to baste it. Use timers.
- Don’teat left over turkey for more than two days tops after Thanksgiving. Make curried turkey (recipe below) and freeze it.
More Turkey Safety Tips.
What’s the best thing about turkey, the stuffing!
Here’s a list of what you can put in the stuffing. I’m sure there’s lots more. So if you have any other suggestions just post them in discussions below.
- Bread crumbs. This is the most traditional. Just grate some dried (not moldy) bread. I usually wet it first before I put it in.
- A nice alternative to bread crumbs is matzo farfel you can usually find it in the specialty section of most urban supermarkets. Moisten it before putting it in.
- Couscous. For something really different just moisten it and put it in. It’s a lighter stuffing.
- Onions. Usually white Spanish onions. Sauté first.
- green onions If you want to skip the sauté part just use green onions.
- Turkey giblet. No point in letting this go to waste. Dice it and fry it up with the onions before you put it in.
- Mushrooms. Plain white mushrooms will work. Dice them and fry them up with the onions before putting them in.
- Celery. I love celery in a stuffing because it’s so nice and crunchy. I use all parts of it. Dice it.
- Broccoli. It doesn’t have to be all brown, add some broccoli tops.
- Use herbs like basil , tarragon, and rosemary.
- Pine nuts, they aren’t nuts so many people with allergies can eat them but check first. They do add an elegant touch to any stuffing.
- See what you have around and experiment. Why not put a few cranberries in the stuffing? Why not some dried fruit?
Curried Turkey
Here’s an idea to do with what’s left over, curried turkey. There's enough moisture so it
freezes well.
- 2 cups diced turkey
- 1/4 cup turkey gravy (skim the fat)
- 1/4 cup stock
- 1 white onion
- 2 stalks celery
- Curry powder to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup lentils
Dice onion and celery. Sauté onion in a wok or saucepan. Add turkey and gravy. Stir in gravy and stock. Put in curry and cumin.
Freeze in small containers.
When you reheat, add lentils and dried fruit. Serve with rice or couscous. For something different try congee.
More Turkey and Thanksgiving ideas:
Rochelle's Thankgiving Dinner.
Ten Point Plan for Thanksgiving Turkey
Herbed Turkey with Pear Stuffing
Here’s what you do with all that left over Potato Water
Here’s my turkey recipe for Passover .
Meat Food Safety
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