Turkey With a Twist

Turkey With a Twist

Thanksgiving usually means a big roast turkey with all the trimmings but I was faced with two challenges this year that would mean a change of plans. Firstly, my oven wasn’t working properly which meant I couldn’t cook a whole bird in it, and secondly, Darwin’s turkeys proved to be a little smaller than expected this year. I needed 3 of them to feed all of our family and friends.

 

After some consideration, I decided to break the birds down and do a variety of dishes using the different parts. I removed the legs, cutting them into drumsticks and thighs, the wings, cutting them in two each, and the breasts, keeping them joined by the skin by cutting from the back, then along the rib cage and down the keel.

The thighs were marinated in red wine overnight and turned into ‘Dinde au Vin’. The wings were seasoned with a standard BBQ rub and slow smoke roasted on the BBQ. I make a bread stuffing with sausage meat, pistachios and dried cranberries, stuffed the turkey breasts, rolled and tied them forming nice little roasts. These were roasted in the BBQ as well using indirect heat. The drumsticks were used to make turkey confit, which when paired with a traditional French white bean cassoulet proved to be the star of the dinner. The turkey was cooked just enough to fall off the bones easily and almost melted in our mouths. The beans had a nice sweet, fresh savory taste that went perfectly with the turkey.

 

Add to this feast the usual accompaniments, cranberries, potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, pumpkin pie and cheese cake, and you end with a very traditional thanksgiving dinner.

     

Cassoulet

    2 cups dried white beans, picked over and rinsed

    1 smoked pork hock

    1 onion, chopped

    1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

    6 cloves garlic finely chopped

    2 pieces smoked sausage, diced

    4 qt water

    ¼ cup ketchup

    1 tbsp savoury

    1 tbsp Dijon mustard

    1 bay leaf

    5 sprigs fresh thyme

    1 tablespoon salt

    3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cover the beans with cold water by 2 inches in a bowl and soak them overnight. Drain well in a colander.

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for about 8 hours, or until the beans soften and all the ingredients combine to make a thick sauce. Adjust the seasoning and serve.