Valerie at Fun, Crafts and Recipes has Thanksgiving on the brain this week, so our four questions anticipate the feast!
#1. Stuffing. Boxed or from scratch?
From scratch, mo' definitely. My mother makes the most divine oyster dressing, from a recipe handed down from mother to daughter over generations. It is so yummy! And this is spoken by a non-oyster lover.
#2. If you were served the perfect Thanksgiving dinner what would it be?
Surprisingly, my answer has less to do with the food served as the folks in attendance. My perfect Thanksgiving dinner would be attended by the whole family, including both sets of grandparents. My Grandma would have made the dressing and the gravy, and my Nani would have brought the most delicious antipasto tray, but just having them, and my Papa to carve the turkey, and Grampa to snore loudly afterward would be so sweet.
#3. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving leftover?
Turkey!! Gotta love that turkey with everything sandwich. Turkey (I like dark and white meat mixed,) with a slab of cranberry sauce, gravy and Cross & Blackwell chow chow. Heavenly. Get some rice and gravy mixed up with green peas and a dollop of leftover oyster dressing, yum!! Boy, thank heavens Turkey Day is just a couple weeks away; just having written that, I'm needing that plate!
#4. Share a recipe using turkey.
I'm going to share how to deep fry a turkey, which they do quite regularly down here. (Actually, I lifted this one from Chuck Taggart's gumbopages.com, which is all right because we went to grammar school together...) It is a quick way to make an absolutely tender and wonderful bird... A couple of caveats -- ALWAYS do this outside. Most people around here have a propane get-up they use to boil crawfish or fry fish outside, and they use that to fry their turkeys. AND they use peanut oil for the great flavor and high smoking point, but you do have to be careful about it, so many kids are allergic.
* One 12-15 pound turkey
* 1-1/2 to 2 gallons peanut oil, or other oil with a high smoking point
* 4 ounces of your own favorite liquid seasoning or marinade for injection (there is no standard for this ... everybody does his or her own, as it turns out. You can buy some ready made from the Cajun Injector folks.)
* Creole Seasoning to taste
First, of course, you need the equipment to cook the turkey on and in. Try a gizmo called a King Cooker for outdoor use; it heats and cooks using a propane tank and stand. Otherwise, use a large, TALL, thick stockpot, preferably 30-quart sized or larger.
Heat the peanut oil to 350-365 degrees -- use a deep-fat frying thermometer clipped onto the side of the pot. Be VERY careful not to exceed this temperature, as the oil can begin to smoke and actually catch fire. Keep constant watch over the temperature and you'll be okay.
Using a flavor injector (available from cooking and restaurant supply stores and gourmet shops) inject your favorite marinade throughout the turkey.
Make sure the outside of the turkey is completely dry (you know what happens when water hits hot oil). Sprinkle the entire turkey generously with your favorite dry rub, Creole seasoning. Rub the skin to make sure the dry rub sticks.
When the oil hits 350 degrees slide that baby in -- gently, or you'll fry your feet if they happen to be near the oil that will splash out if you throw it in. (This was my friend Althea's mistake during her first turkey frying). The best way to get the turkey into the oil is to rig a cradle out of a couple of coat hangers.
Cook for about 3-1/2 minutes per pound for a whole turkey, approximately 52 minutes for a 15 pound turkey, only 42 minutes for a 12 pounder. (Individual turkey parts such as breast, wings or thighs require slightly longer cooking time, 4-5 minutes per pound.) Remove the turkey from the oil carefully, and immediately wrap it with aluminum foil. LET THE TURKEY REST FOR 30 MINUTES before carving. Carry-over cooking will finish cooking the turkey outside the oil, bringing it up to the proper temperature and allowing the juices to circulate back through the meat.
There ya go. Have a wonderful Turkey Day, surrounded by those you love...
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