Esther Trenton’s Roast Turkey (Gemini): Romance Weekly

Yummo! This is going to be one awesome post! Hopefully you will enjoy this recipe and it will wind up on your own table.

First, who in the world is Esther Trenton? Well Esther is the mother of the protagonist in Gemini, Dr. John Trenton. She’s named after my mother, Esther. Actually her persona is that of my own mom. People who know me know how hyper and up I am all the time. Well my mother, made me look like I was in a coma. As an aside, wait till you meet her in Gemini! And what she does to Vicki! You’ll also read how Vicki responds!

Okay, so now that you know what to expect from my mom, this is her recipe that she made on all of the Jewish holidays.

She always used a fresh turkey, or a butterball. 13 to 17 pounds. First, she washed and plucked out any remaining feathers. On Kosher birds you’d find some.

First, cut into large chunks, carrots, celery, and onions. Place that on the bottom of the pan, preferably the one you see in the pic above. That has been the best roasting pan I’ve ever found in my life. And I bet some of your grandmas had it! Add a cup and a half of water over the vegetables. Then sprinkle them with garlic and paprika.

Next, sauté grated carrots, slivered onions, garlic, and I always add mushrooms. Use some oil in the pan, but no salt.

Sprinkle the bird with paprika and garlic. I also added curry powder. Use as much or as little to taste.

For the stuffing, and this is where it really gets delicious. Moisten with water two sleeves of Premium Saltine Crackers, with lightly salted tops. Squish them in your hands to break them apart. If you’re queasy about the germ factor, you can mash them with a fork. Depending upon the size of the bird, you can use 2 1/2 sleeves of crackers. Then mix in 2 or 3 whole eggs, garlic powder or fresh, if you mixed it in your sauté, and your sautéed carrots, onions, and mushrooms. Mix thoroughly.

Put the stuffing inside your bird. Yes, it will increase cooking time. Nowadays there’s a pop up thermometer in birds which I love. Roast the bird in a 400° oven, covered. Baste it after one hour. Baste a few times within a three hour cooking time. Do not turn the bird over. Take off the cover for the last 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven when the pop up thermometer pops. And let the bird rest before you take it out of the pan and place it on your platter.

Now to make the gravy. This is a fabulous gravy with no flour. So this is totally gluten-free, but not fat free. With a ladle, scoop up the veggies and the gravy that is in the bottom of the pan and put it into a blender. You can drain off the top layer of fat if you’d like before you do this. Put most of the veggies that are in the pan in the blender or as much of it as you can fit without the blender exploding. You can also use a mixmaster, or handheld blender.

Blend and purée the contents until it is creamy. You will not need any thickeners.

If there is a delay for you eating you may reheat the gravy in a pot on the stove.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and please let me know in your comments if you remember this kind of roasting pan or if you have one.

Now onto another awesome writer S.C.Mitchell at http://scmitchell.wordpress.com

The Mind Behind the Crime,
Ronnie