The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook (20 page)

ROAST TURKEY WITH GRAVY

MAKES ABOUT 18 SERVINGS WITH ABOUT 7 CUPS GRAVY

Ah, Thanksgiving dinner, the scene for family bonding and unbonding. With high hopes that your holiday meal will be free of arguments over the qualities of sweet potatoes, here is the best way to roast turkey and make gravy that we know. While most Sixties families used a frozen turkey, ignore this tradition and go for a fresh bird. And be very wary of using a disposable aluminum foil pan. Unless you use a sturdy roasting pan, half of your delicious gravy could end up on the floor.

1 fresh turkey (about 18 pounds)

Everyone Loves It Stuffing (
page 138
), freshly made and warm

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more if needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium celery rib with leaves, chopped

1 quart chicken broth

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1.
Position a rack in the lowest position of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Reserve the turkey neck and giblets to use in gravy or stock. Pull out the pads of yellow fat at either side of the tail and reserve. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat the turkey skin dry. Turn the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing. Using a thin wooden or metal skewer, pin the turkey’s neck skin to the back. Fold the turkey’s wings akimbo behind the back or tie to the body with kitchen string. Loosely fill the large body cavity with stuffing. Place any remaining stuffing in a lightly buttered baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate to bake later as a side dish. Place the drumsticks in the hock lock or tie together with kitchen
string. Rub all over with the softened butter. Season the outside of the bird with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

2.
Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Tightly cover the breast area with aluminum foil. Add 2 cups of water and the reserved turkey fat to the pan.

3.
Roast the turkey, basting whenever you feel like (but no more than every 45 minutes), until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh (but not touching a bone) reads 180°F degrees and the stuffing is at least 160°F, about 4¼ hours. (See Estimated Turkey Roasting Times on
page 110
.) Whenever the pan drippings evaporate, add water to moisten them (about 1½ cups at a time).
Remove the foil
during the last hour to allow the skin to brown, and be sure to baste at least once after the foil is removed.

4.
Meanwhile, to make turkey stock, use a heavy knife to chop the neck into 2-to 3-inch chunks. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped neck, gizzard, and heart and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and enough water to cover the turkey parts by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Simmer while the turkey is roasting, at least 2 and up to 4 hours. Strain into a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes, then skim off the fat and reserve from the surface. Pour the skimmed fat into the turkey roasting pan. (Yes, you have to make the turkey stock. It is the secret to great gravy.)

5.
Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter and let it stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. (Use the empty oven to bake the side dishes. Pour ½ cup turkey broth over the stuffing in the baking dish, Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.)

6.
Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a gravy separator. Let stand 5 minutes; then pour off the pan drippings into a 2-quart glass measuring cup, leaving the fat in the separator. Measure ¾ cup fat, adding melted butter, if needed. Add enough turkey stock to the skimmed drippings to make 8 cups total.

7.
Place the roasting pan over two stove burners on medium heat and add the ¾ cup of turkey fat. Add the flour and whisk, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a flat roux whisk. Cook until the flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the turkey stock mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the gravy thickens and no trace of raw flour flavor remains, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the gravy to a large gravy boat. Carve the turkey and serve the gravy alongside.

Estimated Turkey Roasting Times

(Oven Temperature 325°F)
An 18-pound turkey is large enough to make an impressive appearance at the table, and is sure to provide plenty of leftovers for up to 12 people. If you want to use a turkey with a different weight, use this chart. Add an extra 30 minutes to the roasting time to allow for variations in roasting conditions. It’s better to have a bird done ahead of time than to keep everyone waiting and hungry for the bird to finish roasting.

Unstuffed Turkey

Stuffed Turkey

NOT-QUITE FISH STICKS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Although frozen fish sticks were first introduced in the early 1950s, there weren’t enough freezers in grocery stores or homes to make much room for them. By the 1960s, however, houses got bigger kitchens, home freezer sales quadrupled, and frozen fish stick sales tripled (we suppose they didn’t quadruple because people still had to make room for ice cream!). Many of us were served the breaded fish “fingers” twice on Fridays—once at school and again for dinner. Here’s our homemade, not-frozen version, crunchy coating still included.

1½ pounds sole fillets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 cup dried bread crumbs

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Tartar sauce, for serving

Lemon wedges, for serving

1.
Cut the sole crosswise on a diagonal into ½-inch-wide strips. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2.
Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a second shallow dish. Spread the bread crumbs in a third dish. In batches, dip the fish strips in the flour, and shake off the excess flour. Dip in the eggs to coat, letting the excess egg drip off. Then roll in the bread crumbs to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Let stand while heating the oil.

3.
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a brown paper bag. Pour enough oil to come about ½ inch up the sides of a large skillet and heat over high heat until the oil is shimmering.

4.
In batches without crowding, add the fish strips to the oil and cook until golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Using a wire spider or slotted spoon, transfer to the paper-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while frying the remaining fish.

5.
Serve hot, with the tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

DUCK À L'ORANGE

MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS

Continental cuisine was a savory mélange of dishes, living together in harmony on a menu even if they didn’t always peacefully coexist on the European continent (see World War I and World War II). The Kiev would lay down with the scampi, with red-jacketed, accented waiters acting as ambassadors to this comfortable world of wine, chafing dishes, and candlelight. Duck à l’orange, roast duck in orange sauce, often represented the French faction on Continental menus. And now you can make it
chez nous
.

1 whole duck (5 to 6 pounds), giblets reserved (discard the liver or reserve for another use)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1¾ cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 small onions, each cut into quarters, divided ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

3 navel oranges

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.
The day before serving, pull out and reserve the fat inside the body cavity at the tail end of the duck. Using a heavy knife or kitchen shears, chop off the wing tips at the first joint. Chop the wing tips and neck into 2-inch chunks. Cover and refrigerate with heart and gizzard. (Discard the liver or reserve for another use.)

2.
Sprinkle the duck inside and out with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place the duck on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 24 hours. (This dries the skin and helps the duck release its fat.)

3.
Heat the duck fat in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to melt, about 3 minutes. Add the wing tips, neck, heart, and gizzard and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, 1 cup water, and 1 quartered onion. Bring to a simmer, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add the
thyme and bay leaf. Simmer until reduced to about 2 cups, about 1 hour. Strain into a bowl. Let stand a few minutes, then skim off any fat from the surface. (The duck stock can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated, for up to 1 day.)

4.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Using the tines of a meat fork, pierce the duck skin all over, taking care not to go into the flesh. Be sure to pierce the fattiest areas near the thighs and wings. Stuff the body cavity of the duck with the remaining onion and ½ orange, cut into a few wedges. Place the duck on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, breast side down. Roast for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes or so during roasting, use a bulb baster to remove accumulated fat from the pan (there will be quite a lot), and pierce the skin with the tines of the meat fork. Turn the duck breast side up and continue roasting (and removing the fat and piercing the skin) until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 170°F, about 45 minutes longer.

5.
Meanwhile, remove the orange zest from 1 of the remaining oranges with a vegetable peeler, and cut into ⅛-inch-wide strips. Scrape off any bits of yellow pith with the edge of a paring knife, if needed. Place in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.