Nothin' but a Bunch of Turkeys

In New England where we live, turkeys start showing up in droves as we approach Thanksgiving. The other day we counted as many as 34! They get me thinking about getting ready for Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, they are fairly approachable - no wonder they ended up on the Thanksgiving table!

The way I look at it, Thanksgiving is the ultimate immigrant’s holiday. We give thanks for the bounty and tolerance afforded by a rich, free homeland. As Lady Liberty says:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Thanksgiving originated as the harvest celebration of pilgrims fleeing persecution and nearing starvation. It took on a broader meaning of reunion, tolerance and sharing, after being formally established as a national holiday in 1863 by President Lincoln presiding over a country divided by civil war.

And now, following a derisive and highly polarizing presidential campaign and election, the United States is sorely in need of reunion, tolerance and a sense of shared responsibility if we are to prevail over the enormous challenges we face ahead. There is no better time for a Thanksgiving holiday.

So in the spirit of tolerance I offer an alternative approach to Thanksgiving turkey, incorporating different ethnic influences. And as was the practice of the native Americans of the first Thanksgiving, it uses every last inch of the turkey except the gobble.

For these three dishes I carved one whole raw turkey into parts – legs, thighs, wings, and then the breast. All the remains (carcass, legs, etc.) were roasted in the oven for a soup base. I prepared the dark meat (thighs and wings) as a Moroccan tagine – rich with red pepper, cinnamon, ginger and apricots. Then I prepared the breasts VERY QUICKLY as a simple braise in wine and a mire-poix. Spicy tagine for adults, subtle braised breast for kids. Soup for anyone needing warmth.

Enough for everybody, and everybody’s happy. Give thanks.


Turkey Tagine with Cranberries and Apricots
4 turkey breasts, boned and quartered
2 turkey wings
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 sticks cinnamon
½ cup dried apricots
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup water

Sear the turkey in batches in a non-stick skillet over very high heat, skin-side down, until really golden brown on the skin side, 3-5 minutes. Turn over and brown on other side another minute or two. Remove to a platter.

In a tagine (or the same skillet if you don’t have a tagine), sauté the onion until softened and beginning to caramelize, over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper, cumin and fennel, and cook another 2-3 minutes, until aromatic. Distribute the turkey about the onion mixture, skin-side up, and add the water. Salt and pepper to taste. Submerse the cinnamon sticks well under the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for half an hour.

Uncover the tagine (or skillet) and shake to redistribute flavors. Do not stir – keep the turkey breast meat with the skin-side up to stay as crisp as possible. Distribute the cranberries and apricots about the dish, immersing into the broth. Cover and simmer another half an hour.


Turkey Breast Braised with Cranberries and Wine
The trick here is to braise the breasts JUST until they are done - if not overcooked, these are some of the most tender turkey breasts I have ever had.

1 onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
2 large stalks celery, finely diced
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup dry white wine
2 large boneless turkey breast halves

Sauté the onion, carrot, celery in a large non-stick skillet in a bit of olive oil until the vegetables soften and begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Set vegetables aside in a bowl. In the same skillet, sear the turkey breast halves, skin side down for about 5-8 minutes, until very well browned. Turn and brown second side another 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Return vegetables to pan and add the wine and cranberries. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover skillet and braise for 20 minutes, or until the breasts are just cooked through. Remove breasts, slice across grain and top with vegetables and sauce on serving platter.

Turkey Soup with Roasted Vegetables
This is not for the feint of heart – it takes some time but oh, the results are so worth it. This will most definitely raise the spirits of anyone who is sick. This soup depends on all the bones – the gelatin is so healthful and extends a richness you can’t get any other way. For the richest stock, include all the turkey drippings, skin, bones and organs except the liver. The onion skins help produce a flavorful, colored stock. This soup usually takes two days since you have to let the stock cool to efficiently skim away all the fat. By the way, this works very nicely with chicken as well – this is a master recipe which can be varied in untold different ways.

Carcass, legs and trimmings of 1 carved turkey
2 onions, quartered, including skins
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 15-oz. can Navy beans
¼ cup pearl barley
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 turnips, diced
2 tsp. dried rosemary
½ cup frozen peas

If the carcass has not been roasted, place it and all the bones and trimmings in a roasting pan and roast at 400F for 45 minutes, until well browned. Transfer the roasted pieces and all the drippings to a large stock pot and just cover with water. Add the bay leaf, bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for an hour.

Place a colander in a very large bowl and carefully strain the stock. Remove the colander and its contents from the bowl and allow the bones to cool enough to pull all off all the meat. Be careful not to include any small bone fragments. Set the meat aside in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Return the stock to the pot and cool down until the fat surfaces and solidifies. This can be finished in the refrigerator, or in cold New England winters, I use the garage or the back porch overnight. Either way, it takes some time, and I usually continue the next day.

Using a large spoon skim off all the fat on top of the stock and discard. Warm the pot on the stove and return the meat to the stock and set to a simmer. In another pan, sauté the carrots and celery for about 8-10 minutes, until softened and slightly caramelized. Add the fennel seeds for the last 1-2 minutes. Add to the stock along with the beans and the barley.

Meanwhile, set the oven to 400F. Toss together the squash and turnips with the rosemary and about a tablespoon of olive oil and a bit of coarse salt and pepper in a bowl. Lay out in a large jelly roll pan and roast for about 20 minutes, or until well browned.

Tip the roasted vegetables and the peas into the soup. Simmer another 15 minutes or so, to meld flavors. Serve to your poor, your tired, or huddled masses.