Slow Roasted Turkey and Gravy

Just in time for Thanksgiving.  The turkey breast is a favorite of mine, when it isn't dried out, and cooking it this way will ensure a nice moist result.

1-8 to 9 lb Bone-In Turkey Breast
Salt to taste
1 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Turkey Gravy
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
4 cups turkey drippings and broth
Chicken broth (if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste

Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat oven to 250F.

Rinse and dry the turkey breast. Even when I purchase a brined turkey breast, I still like to lightly salt the turkey breast under the skin. You, of course, do not have to. If the turkey breast that you purchase has NOT been brined or koshered, liberally salt the breast under the skin.

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with the oil. When hot, add the turkey, breast-side down. Add the onion around the edges of the bird. Add the garlic on top of the onions. Cook several minutes or until the skin has browned. Flip the bird over so that the breast is facing upward. Stir the onions and garlic. Cook a couple minutes longer. If you have a probe thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the breast – making sure the probe is not sticking up in the air in a way that would impede your covering the turkey breast with a lid. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and top with a tight-fitting lid. Crimp the foil around the seam of the pot to ensure steam does not escape. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160F – roughly 2 1/2 hours.

When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and flip the bird over so that the breast is submerged in the accumulated juices. Cover and let rest 15 minutes. During this time, the internal temperature will increase to at least 170F.

Remove the turkey from the pot and place it on a large platter. Keep it tented so it stays warm. Strain the liquid and solids from the pot into a large bowl. Use the back of a ladle to make sure you smash the onion/garlic to extract all of the juices. Discard the vegetable solids. Skim some or most of the fat that settles on top of the broth and discard any unwanted fat. Measure how much turkey broth you have. If you do not have at least 4 cups, add some chicken stock to come up to a total of 4 cups of liquid. If you like particularly thin gravy, you can add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cups of turkey/chicken broth. If you like thicker gravy, reduce the liquid by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

To make the gravy, heat a saucepan over medium heat with three tablespoons of butter. After the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook the butter/flour mixture for about 5 minutes or until it is brown in color. Add the turkey broth and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil then simmer about 5 minutes. Too thin? Simmer another few minutes or until the gravy is your desired thickness. Too thick? Add more turkey broth, chicken broth, or even water. When the gravy is your desired level of thickness, taste it and add some salt and pepper, if needed. You'll probably need at least some salt.

Serve the turkey breast and gravy with some mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, your favorite veggie side dish and voila! you're done!

What To Do With Leftover Turkey ???

3 cups cooked rice
3 cups frozen french-cut green beans
1 (2 ounce) jar sliced pimentos, drained
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water or milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 2 1/2-quart baking dish, combine rice, green beans, pimentos, onion, and green bell pepper; mix well sprinkle turkey over rice mixture in casserole. Mix soup with water and pour over all. Bake casserole, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes, or until bubbling and lightly browned.

Wild Rice Turkey Casserole

1 package (6 ounce) long grain and wild rice mix, cooked as directed
3 1/2 cup cubed; cooked turkey
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 ounce) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (8 ounce) water chestnuts; drained and slice, reserve liquid
1 can (4 ounce) mushrooms; drained, reserve liquid
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoon melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add water to reserved liquids to make 1 cup. Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs and butter. Spoon into a 3 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with mixture of crumbs and butter. Bake, uncovered, about 1 hour.

Crock Pot Country Chicken Rice Soup

3 onions - chopped
4 celery - sliced
Salt
Pepper
&n bsp; 1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sage
20 ounces peas - frozen
2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
5 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup rice - raw converted
Place all ingredients, except rice, into slow cooker in order listed. Cover and cook 1 hour on high; reduce heat to low and cook an additional 8 to 9 hours. One hour before serving, remove chicken and cool slightly. Remove meat from bones and return to slow cooker. Add rice. Cover and cook an additional hour on high.

Super Quick Turkey Broccoli Casserole

20 ounces frozen broccoli
2 cups cooked turkey, coarsely chopped
10 1/2 ounces cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees f. Cook broccoli according to package directions. Layer in a 12 by 8-inch baking dish. Spread turkey evenly on top. Combine soup with milk. Mix until smooth and pour over turkey. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Turkey Swiss Casserole

1 (10 ounces) packages frozen green beans
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) swiss cheese, shredded
1 (10 3/4 ounces) can cream of chicken soup
1/8 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 cup biscuit mix
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Cook green beans according to package directions, omitting seasonings; drain. Add turkey, cheese, soup and nutmeg; stir well. Spoon mixture into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Place biscuit mix in medium bowl. Combine egg, butter and milk; add to biscuit mix, stirring just until blended. Spoon biscuit mixture around edge of casserole, leaving center open. Sprinkle parsley in center of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Turkey Spinach Casserole

6 slices bacon
1/2 cup onion; chopped
1 1/2 cups rice; cooked
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, drained well
1/4 cup water chestnuts; sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound turkey; cooked, sliced
3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter; melted


Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Sauté onion in bacon drippings until tender; remove from heat. Add rice, spinach, water chestnuts, half of bacon, and salt; stir well. Combine soup and sour cream; stir half of soup mixture into spinach mixture. Spoon spinach mixture into a lightly greased 12x7-inch baking dish; arrange turkey slices on top. Spoon remaining soup mixture over turkey. Combine breadcrumbs and butter; mix well, and sprinkle around edges of casserole. Sprinkle remaining bacon over center of casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Oriental Turkey Soup

2 pints chicken stock
4 ounce cooked turkey; cut into thin strips
1 bunch salad onions; sliced diagonally
1 red pepper de-seeded and sliced into thin strips
6 ounce oyster mushrooms; roughly chopped
3 ounce bamboo shoots;
1 inch piece fresh root ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander


Place the stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the turkey, salad onions and pepper, simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger, sherry, soy sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the seasoning to taste and simmer for a further 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately with the coriander and some sesame crab toasts.

Roast Turkey

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Impossible Turkey & Stuffing Pie

2 cups turkey, cooked & cut up
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4-teaspoon sage, ground or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1-cup bisquick or baking mix


Heat oven to 400 degrees f. Grease pie plate, 10 x 1-1/2". Mix turkey, celery, onion and seasonings in plate. Beat remaining ingredients 15 seconds in blender or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake till knife inserted comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.