By: Justin and Kayla Butts Photo: Rachel Benavides
On Thanksgiving Day, the turkey is the starbrof the show. It can also be a source of stress for many home chefs because they roast a turkey only once per year!
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You can deliver a stunning turkey simply by starting with anbrexceptional bird. A “pastured” turkey is raised by a local farmerbron actual pasture. When you begin with excellent ingredients, all you need is a simplebrrecipe to unlock natural flavors. On your busy ThanksgivingbrDay, with all the sides and desserts clamoring in yourbrkitchen, simple recipes are best.
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What’s more, you can use every part of the turkey tobradd flavor to your Thanksgiving dinner. Kayla took this gibletbrgravy recipe from her grandmother Nan, who got it from herbrgrandmother. This gravy is so rich and flavorful that it may wellbrbe the best thing on your table.br
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We got the idea for this stock recipe from a German chef webrmet in Mombasa, Kenya. This stock is the distilled essence ofbrall the goodness of your Thanksgiving Day, and you can use itbras a base for your Christmas dinner, or give it to your guests inbrmason jars as a parting gift.br
*This recipe first appeared in The Bend Magazine, November 2014.
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Pastured ThanksgivingbrTurkey Recipebr
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Serves: 8-10
brPrep time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep time: 8 hours, 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 1⁄2 – 3 hours
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Ingredientsbr
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12-16 lb. turkey, thawed, reserve tail,brneck, liver, heart, and gizzard forbrgiblet gravybr
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Brine:br
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1 cup kosher salt
br1⁄2 cup brown sugarbr1 tbsp. peppercornsbrpeel of one orangebr1 tsp. star of anisebr1 tsp. whole clovesbr
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Aromatics:br
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2 granny smith apples, slicedbr1 medium sweet onion, slicedbr1 carrot, cut into big chunksbr1 cinnamon stickbr
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4 sprigs rosemarybr6 leaves sage
br4 tbsp. butterbr
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Directionsbr
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To brine turkey: Combine brine ingredients with one-gallon water in abrlarge pot. Heat on high until boiling,brstirring occasionally to ensure allbrsolutes dissolve. Remove from heatbrand let cool to room temperature.brPlace turkey (with giblets removed)brin a large pot, bucket, or medium-sized cooler, breast side down.brAdd cooled brine plus enough ice water to completely submergebrthe turkey. Cover and refrigeratebrovernight.
brPreheat oven to 400°F.br
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Remove turkey from brine and patbrdry with paper towels. Place turkeybron roasting pan and air dry in refrig-brerator while chopping aromatics.brUsing clean hands, apply butter tobrentire surface of turkey, as well as tobrthe cavity. Stuff the turkey with halfbrof the aromatics. Place the rest of the aromatics along with one cup ofbrwater in the bottom of the roastingbrpan.
brBake turkey breast side down for onebrhour. Remove turkey from oven andbrbaste with pan drippings. Add waterbrto base of pan if needed. Then,brusing paper towels, turn the turkeybrbreast side up, baste, and return tobrthe oven. Bake for another hour and baste again with pan drippings.brContinue cooking for another hourbror longer, checking temperature withbra meat thermometer, until breastbrreaches 165°F.
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Remove turkey from rack, coverbrwith foil and let rest for 15 minutesbrto allow juices to redistribute.
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Nan’s Giblet Gravybr
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Kayla learned this recipe from herbrgrandmother, who learned it frombrher grandmother. This oldest ofbrold-fashioned recipes is so rich andbrflavorful that it might just be the bestbrthing on your Thanksgiving table.
Serves 8-10br
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Prep time: 10 minutes
brCook time: 1 hour, 10 minutesbr
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Ingredientsbr
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1 tbsp. vegetable oil
brReserved tail, neck, heart, liver, andbrgizzard of turkey
br1⁄2 onion, diced
br4 cups chicken stock
br1 tsp. poultry seasoning
br1⁄2 tsp. thyme
br1 tsp. rosemary
br3 tbsp.butter
br3 tbsp. flour
br1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
brSalt and pepperbr
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Directionsbr
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Heat oil on medium heat in abrmedium-sized pot. Add giblets and onions and cook until goldenbrand fragrant, about 5 minutes. Addbrstock and herbs and bring to a boil.brReduce heat and simmer about 30brminutes. Once cool, remove gibletsbrand pull meat from neck, discardbrgizzard gristle, and finely chop organbrmeat. Set broth aside.
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Approximately 30 minutes beforebrturkey has finished cooking, heatbrbutter in pot over medium-low heat.brOnce melted and beginning to bubble, add flour, whisking vigorously.brCook for 10 minutes until roux isbrbrown and fragrant. Add reservedbrbroth and continue to simmer forbrabout 20 minutes.
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Once turkey has finished roasting,brremove cinnamon stick and rosemary stems and smash remainingbraromatics with a fork in bottom ofbrroasting pan. Place over two burnersbrset on medium-high. Once bits havebrbrowned, deglaze pan with whitebrwine, stirring vigorously to loosenbrpieces from bottom of pan.
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Add pan drippings and giblets tobrprepared gravy, heat to boiling andbrseason as desired. Note: If you wishbrto omit giblets, strain gravy prior tobrserving.
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Creamed NovemberbrGreensbr
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South Texas greens in Novemberbrare young and tender. These greensbrrequire less cooking time and havebra milder and sweeter flavor than thebrtougher greens common later in thebrseason.
brServes 4-6
brPrep time: 10 minutes
brCook time: 30 minutesbr
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Ingredientsbr
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1⁄2 lb. fresh bacon, choppedbr3 tbsp. butter
br2 shallots, chopped
br4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
br2 cups heavy cream
br2 cups milk
brGenerous splash apple-cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. nutmegbr
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2 lbs. mixed young greens (recommend: spinach, kale, swiss chard, beetbrgreens, or collards)br
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Directionsbr
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Heat bacon on medium heat in abrdeep sauté pan and cook until crisp,brabout 5 minutes. Remove baconbrfrom pan with a slotted spoon and add butter to drippings. Addbrscallions and cook for 2 minutes.brAdd garlic and cook for another 30brseconds. Stir in flour and cook for anbradditional two minutes, until flour is a golden brown. Add remainingbringredients and cook for 20 additional minutes, stirring frequently,bruntil sauce is thickened and greensbrare wilted.br
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Roasted Root Vegetablesbr
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This is a wonderful, seasonalbraddition to a Thanksgiving dinnerbrbecause the vegetables take upbrminimal oven space and can bebrroasted while the turkey cooks. Webrrecommend increasing cooking timebrto 45 minutes if cooking at 400°Fbrwith the turkey.
brServes 6-8
brPrep time: 10 minutes
brCook time: 30-45 minutesbr
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Ingredientsbr
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1 lb. Root vegetables in season, suchbras beets, winter and summer squash,brcarrots, potatoes, peeled and choppedbrin 1” piecesbr
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1⁄2 fennel bulb, sliced
br2 tbsp. olive oil
br1 tsp. thyme
br1 sprig fresh rosemarybrSalt and pepperbr
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Directionsbr
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Preheat oven to 450°F. Spread vegetables out evenly on baking sheet.brDrizzle with olive oil and seasonbrwith herbs, salt and pepper. Cookbrfor 30-45 minutes, until vegetablesbrare golden brown and fork tender.
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Thanksgiving TurkeybrStock Recipebr
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The beauty of this stock recipe is thatbrit turns all of the scraps you acquirebrwhile making your Thanksgivingbrmeal into a rich kitchen staple. Thisbrrecipe is the very essence of all yourbrkitchen goodness, and you can givebrit to your guests in a mason jar as abrgift or save it in the fridge for yourbrChristmas dinner. You will love this stock recipe that we borrowedbrfrom a German chef who we met inbrMombasa, Kenya!
brYield: 5-6 quartsbr
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Cook Time: 8-12 hoursbr
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Ingredientsbr
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Turkey carcass, head, feet, giblets, orbrgristle
brVegetable scraps (onion skin, tops of carrots, turnips or beets, ends ofbrsquash, snippets of beans, peels ofbrsquash)br
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Herb stems
brFruit peels or zestsbrWater
brSalt and peppercornsbr
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Directionsbr
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Place all ingredients in a slow cookerbras you accumulate them. Cover withbrwater. Turn slow cooker on ‘low’ andbrleave overnight. The next morningbrstrain ingredients using cheeseclothbror fine mesh strainer.
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