Thanksgiving and turkey go together like Easter and chocolate bunnies: somehow, it just doesn’t seem right to have one without the other. As times have changed, though, so have our options. Just as the selection for Easter chocolate now ranges from bunnies to dinosaurs, race cars and kitty cats, the range of options for your Thanksgiving table is deliciously varied. Thanksgiving is no longer limited to the stereotypical roast turkey you see pictured in grocery store flyers and home-ec textbooks. You’ve got lots of tasty options for your Thanksgiving table, from nutritionally and politically correct (free range or tofu birds) to culinarily adventurous and dietarily suspect (turduckens and deep-fried turkeys).
If you’re a traditionalist when it comes to turkey, but you’d like a something a little tastier than the frozen bird you’re used to, think about ordering a fresh turkey from your local grocery store or butcher. You’ll notice a marked difference with a fresh turkey; the less time it has spent in a refrigerator or freezer, the juicier and better-tasting it will be. Although many grocery stores do have fresh turkeys in stock at this time of year, pre-ordering is a good way to ensure that you can get the turkey when you need it, and that it hasn’t spent too much time in taste-destroying cold-storage.
If you’re looking for a turkey that’s tasty and easy on your conscience, consider buying an organic, free-range turkey. These are more expensive and a little more difficult to find, so be prepared for a little leg work. Your first resource should be your local butcher shop or your favourite butcher from the Farmers’ Market; if they can’t provide you with the bird that you hunger for, they might at least be able to point you in the right direction. Again, be prepared to pre-order.
If you’re planning a vegetarian-friendly Thanksgiving dinner, consider serving replacing the bird with curd – soy bean curd, that is. One of the most popular options for vegetarians at the Thanksgiving table is the ‘Tofurkey,’ a turkey-style tofu entrée that makes a great replacement for people who’d rather leave the turkeys in the barnyard. Available online or from well-stocked organic foods stores, you can buy the Tofurkey on its own or as part of a larger holiday meal package which includes stuffing, gravy and dumplings.
If you’re only going to have a small Thanksgiving dinner and you don’t want to invest the time or money into a large turkey, you have still have several options for your festive table. A turkey breast – all white meat, without the wings or legs – is smaller than a full turkey and thus faster and easier to cook. Weighing between four and seven pounds, roasting a turkey breast will take only two to three hours, compared to the longer, more labour-intensive five to six hours it takes to slow-roast an entire turkey. Turkey breasts are available whole or, sometimes, halved, and they’re a perfect option if you’re celebrating as a couple or small group. They also make a great whole-turkey supplement, especially in large families where the white meat is always the first to disappear from the platter. If you’d prefer not to have to carve, look for turkey cutlets – slices of boneless, skinless turkey breast that cook in a flash. For something even easier than the quick-cooking, no-carving turkey cutlet, try Sweet William’s turkey fennel sausage, available at the Farmers’ Market and in select stores around the city. Delicious barbecued and served on a bun or pan-fried and served with potatoes and vegetables on the side, the sausages have only one drawback: no stuffing.
If you prefer a turkey with lots of stuffing, consider a Cajun-inspired turducken (as discussed in accompanying story “The stuff of legend”). A turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken, all of which are stuffed with bread or sausage stuffing, a turducken is a great option for a holiday celebration that needs to cater to a large crowd with varied tastes. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, why not try another Southern solution to the Thanksgiving turkey doldrums – a deep-fried turkey? Although the giant pot of boiling oil – if you’re going to deep-fry a turkey, do it, very carefully, outside – gives some less adventurous cooks cause for concern, the speed of cooking (about an hour for a 12 to15 pound turkey), the deep golden skin, and the deliciously moist meat are danger pay in themselves.
Whatever kind of turkey you choose, don’t skimp on size. When you’re shopping for your turkey, look for one that allows about 1 pound of turkey per person, and at least another pound or two for leftovers. After all, just as Easter isn’t really Easter unless you’re left with a stockpile of chocolate bunny ears to nibble on, Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without that foil-pack of leftovers for turkey sandwiches and turkey soup socked away in the fridge. Mmm, leftovers. Now there’s something to be thankful for.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2005.