Heritage Turkey

Recipe by: Zak Pelaccio, 5 Ninth from http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/heritage_recipes/
Cook Time: 6.5 hours

1 18 lb. Heritage Breed Turkey
1 lb. Unsalted rBGH-free Butter
1 Cup Sea Salt
4 Tablespoons of Whole Black Pepper
1 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
8 Sprigs of Thyme
Enough Olive Oil to coat the Turkey

Stuffing of your choice (I prefer a bread stuffing made with lots of celery, mushrooms and sausage)
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Coarsely grind the pepper. Leave the butter out long enough to make it pliable.

Mix butter with the maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of the ground pepper. Roll into a log using plastic wrap. Refrigerate to chill.

Let your turkey come to room temperature (about 1 hour) and then massage it with a liberal amount of olive oil (don\’t forget the cavity!) Slice your Maple butter into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Lift up the skin of the turkey at the top of the breast, that is, lift the overhang that once was clinging to the neck. With the tip of a paring knife, carefully separate the skin from the breast meat.

Once the skin of both breasts has been separated, stuff each pocket with the maple butter, distributing the rounds evenly between the two breasts. Push the rounds in all the way so some are actually as far down as the join between the thigh and the body. Take the thyme sprigs and put them in with the butter.

Season the turkey with the remaining salt and pepper (don\’t forget the cavity!) Cover the turkey with a loose foil tent to protect the breast from browning too much.

Place the turkey in the oven for approximately 5 hours (it may take longer.) If you have a meat thermometer, stick it in the thigh joint. It should read 160-170 degrees. If you do not have a thermometer, wiggle the leg. If the joint feels loose, the turkey is done. At this point, remove the tenting and if you desire more color on the breast, turn the oven up to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 1/2 hour.

A nice finishing touch for this recipe is to glaze the turkey with maple syrup and butter at the end of the cooking.

 If you would like to do so, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk in a cup to a cup and a half of maple syrup. A few minutes before pulling the turkey out, brush the skin with the mixture. Brush several times until you have used up the entire mixture.

When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to let it rest for approximately 1/2 hour before serving. This will allow the juices to settle.
Be sure to use the pan juices to make a gravy!!

Brandi's Brined Thanksgiving Turkey

Recipe by:
Wende Elliot at Wholesome Harvest from www.sustainabletable.org/kitchen/recipes/print.php?rnum=144

Brining is an excellent way to cook pasture raised and organic turkeys that are not pumped full of the artificial additives that keep conventional turkeys moist.

1 cup salt
3⁄4 cup brown sugar
2 lemons, quartered
1 Tbs whole black peppercorns
3 onions, quartered
5 carrots, cut into big chunks
Additional salt and pepper
Your favorite stuffing, optional
1 12-14 lb turkey (fresh or defrosted, giblets removed)

In a large stockpot, combine salt, sugar, lemons, and black peppercorns. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Drop heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat and cool completely. Add turkey to the brine, and add enough water to just cover. Let sit for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Remove the turkey from the brine. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Place the onions and carrots in a roasting pan. Season the turkey generously inside and out with salt and pepper, and stuff with your favorite stuffing, if desired. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables. Roast on the bottom rack of oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the breast is well browned. Remove the turkey and cover the breast and any other well-browned portion with double-thick aluminum foil. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Return the turkey to the oven and roast for another 1 - 1.5 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted to the thickest part of the thigh (not touching the bone. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Find more recipes at: www.wholesomeharvest.com/servlet/the-template/recipes/Page

Roast Heirloom Turkey with Sweet Potato Gravy and Heirloom Squash Dressing

Cook Time: 7 hours
Servings: 11
Recipe by: Michel Nischan from http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/heritage_recipes/index.html

One 16-pound heritage turkey at room temperature (see note below)
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
24 cipollini or pearl onions
6 to 8 small golden beets, peeled, or 8 small purple-top turnips, peeled 
5 large carrots, peeled

Sweet Potato Gravy 
9 cups sweet potato juice
Reserved defatted pan drippings from roast turkey, above 
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

Squash Dressing 
8 cups free-range chicken stock or turkey stock
One 1-pound loaf black bread, such as pumpernickel, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
1 large butternut or acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus more for coating onions
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 unpeeled Vidalia or other sweet onions, halved horizontally 
3 unpeeled Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Fresh lemon juice 
12 Italian chestnuts, roasted and peeled 
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh savory leaves, plus 4 fresh savory leaves, minced

Juice the sweet potatoes and set the juice aside.  To roast the turkey: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Rub the cavities and the skin of the turkey with salt and pepper.  Put the turkey in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and then tent the bird with aluminum foil. Roast, basting occasionally, for about 4 hours, or 15 minutes per pound. If the broth and pan drippings dry up, add more broth.  After 2 hours, remove the foil and add the onions, beets, and carrots. Continue to baste the turkey as the vegetables cook. Check the vegetables occasionally, since one may cook more quickly than another. When the vegetables are tender, transfer them to a warmed ovenproof serving dish and cover to keep warm.  After 3 1/2 hours of cooking, begin testing the turkey for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Raise the oven temperature to 375º to crisp the skin. When the breast reaches an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees, remove the bird from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board.  Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a saucepan. You should have 5 or 6 cups of drippings.  Meanwhile, to make the gravy carefully remove as much fat as you can from the pan drippings for the gravy. Cook the defatted drippings over medium-high heat to reduce to 1 cup. Strain the settled juice through a fine-mesh sieve, being careful to leave the starch behind. You should have about 6 cups of strained juice.  Pour the strained juice into the roasting pan with the defatted pan drippings. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat to reduce until thickened, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the ginger and jalapenos. Strain immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the turkey.  Heirloom Squash Dressing Recipe by Michel Nischan  Put the stock in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until reduced to 4 cups. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, just until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.  Toss the squash with the 2 tablespoons oil to coat lightly and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Transfer the squash to a bowl.  Rub the onions with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Put on the baking sheet, cut-side down, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until caramelized and tender. Remove from the oven, leaving the oven on. Peel the onions and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a large bowl, toss the bread with the squash, onions, apples, chestnuts, and the 1 1/2 tablespoon savory. Slowly add enough reduced stock to moisten the ingredients so that they form a cohesive mixture (you may not need all 4 cups). Season with salt and pepper and spoon into a lightly oiled casserole. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until hot and crusty.

Roasting and Peeling Chestnuts  Cut an X in the flat side of each chestnut with a small, sharp knife. You will need to apply some pressure to pierce the leathery shell, so take care. Spread them on a baking sheet, X-side up, and roast in a preheated 300 degrees oven for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the skin around the incision starts to curl.  At this point, take a few chestnuts from the oven and let them cool just until you can hold them without burning your fingers. Try peeling these; if they are too tough, roast them a little longer. The roasting time depends on the age and moisture of the nuts.  In most batches, there are always a few chestnuts that refuse to peel. Drop these in simmering water for about 5 minutes. They should now peel easily, although they will not be quite as flavorful as the oven roasted ones.  Note: A 16-pound turkey will need to be removed from the refrigerator no more than 1 hour before cooking to allow some of the chill to leave it. Do not leave it out any longer.