Nana’s Italian Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients
Brining the Turkey
- 1 15- to 20-pound turkey
- ¾ cup coarse kosher salt
- 2 red chili peppers (or 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 5–6 bay leaves
- 3–4 crushed garlic cloves
Broth
- Turkey neck, gizzard and heart
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
Coperta di Tacchino (The Turkey Blanket)
- 15 basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 20 fennel seeds
- 6 cloves of garlic, sliced medium thin
- 8 dried figs, roughly chopped
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 10 slices prosciutto
- Prepared stuffing, optional
- 3 pears, peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
Instructions
Brining the Turkey
Remove giblets and neck and put them in the fridge. Rinse the turkey thoroughly inside and out with cold water and place in a stainless-steel bucket or large pot, breast-side down. Mix all the brine ingredients together and pour over the turkey. Pour 2 to 3 gallons of water over the turkey, adding more until it is completely submerged. Cover and brine overnight for about 10 hours in a cool place, such as the fridge, basement or garage.Broth
Heat olive oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Add the neck, gizzard and heart, and stir frequently for 5 minutes until brown. Add water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and skim the fat off the top. Set broth aside to cool, then store in the fridge until ready to use.Coperta di Tacchino (The Turkey Blanket)
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse with cold water. Dry it inside and out with paper towels. Place the turkey on an extra-large cutting board or a long piece of parchment paper with the edges taped down. Plan for the next step to take about an hour. With the tail end of the turkey facing toward you, use scissors to cut the skin on either side of the breast, close to the legs and wings. Cut away from you and toward the neck of the bird so you have one big piece of skin to roll back over the breast. Roll the skin away from you over the turkey, stopping close to the neck. Let the skin drape over the neck, still attached to the bird. Cut back some of the thigh and leg skin, leaving it attached, and pull it away from the breast down toward your cutting board, exposing the thigh and leg meat. With paper towels, wipe away the thin membrane covering the meat. With a sharp paring knife, poke 1-inch-deep holes in the bird. Turn the knife in a circle as you press into the meat to make the holes big enough. Insert a piece of basil leaf, a fennel seed, a slice of garlic or a chunk of fig deep into each hole until all are filled with aromatics. Lightly salt and pepper the turkey. Add a layer of prosciutto over the holes to completely cover the legs, thighs and breast. Pull all of the skin back over the bird, covering the prosciutto blanket. Stick toothpicks along the edges to keep the skin in place during cooking. Preheat the oven to 350°. Fill the cavity of the bird with your choice of stuffing, or use the leftover basil, figs, garlic and fennel seeds mixed with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and 2 peeled pears. Tie the legs together and stuff a peeled pear in the neck cavity. Rub the skin with the olive oil, celery salt, salt and pepper, then place the turkey on a rack inside a roasting pan. Pour 2 to 3 cups of turkey broth into the bottom of the pan. For a 15- to 20-pound bird, roast for 3 to 4 hours, basting with the juices every so often. Adjust cooking time based on turkey size. Remove the turkey from the oven when it reaches 160°. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
