Thanksgiving : Turducken: A Chicken in a Duck in a Turkey : Main Course: It’s a lot of work and takes 13 hours to cook, but this Cajun Big Bird makes for a memorable Thanksgiving.

New Orleans Menu Mashed potatoes Corn pudding Candied yams Corn muffins Cranberry sauce Chocolate pie Strawberry cream cake Sweet potato pecan pie Paul Prudhomme is a big guy, and his family’s Thanksgiving tradition is a big dish. If you need to feed 15 to 25 people, Turducken--a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken--will do it in a memorable way. It’s not only impressive to see but wonderfully rich with the flesh of three different birds and indescribably aromatic with its three different Cajun stuffings.

It is a daunting project, however. All three birds have to be boned. The Turducken has to cook for 12 or 13 hours at a carefully controlled temperature, and the pan drippings have to be removed every couple of hours. Although one person could do most of it alone, the cook will need a helper at least for sewing the bird up and transferring it into and out of the oven.

Of course, you could do it the easy way--Orleans Restaurant in West Los Angeles will serve Turducken at regular meals from Nov. 11 through Nov. 28. It will also cook whole Turduckens for home dinners on a catering basis. Orleans cooked the Turducken in our photographs.

Even if you don’t decide to do a Turducken this year, though, the recipe is worth studying. The dressings are all delicious and any one of them would suit a plain old turkey beautifully. So would the spicy seasoning mix.

For a Louisiana-style Thanksgiving, you would accompany your Turducken, as Orleans Restaurant does, with corn pudding, mashed potatoes, thick-sliced candied yams, corn muffins and cranberry sauce (heated, of course).

Prudhomme suggests a sweet and spicy gravy thickened with eggplant and sweet potatoes for this dish, but you could make a traditional giblet gravy instead. For dessert, have chocolate cake and sweet potato pecan pie. Don’t plan to do much for the rest of the day.

The Turducken is so massive that it has to be cooked very slowly at an unusually low temperature. Your oven must have accurate temperature control, because if it isn’t close to 190 degrees, the cooking may take much more or less than the predicted 12-13 hours. Prudhomme earnestly recommends using an oven thermometer.

However, he points out, since Turducken cooks at a low temperature, it is a forgiving dish. It can be safely left in the oven a couple of extra hours at 190 degrees with no harm done, and it will stay warm for hours after being taken out of the oven.

He recommends making dressings well before stuffing the bird, preferably the day before, so that they will be well chilled. The bird can also be deboned the day before putting it in the oven.

To undertake the whole task, you will need strong thread (cotton, not a synthetic material) and a stout 3-inch needle (a “packing” needle with a curved tip is best) for sewing up the bird. To hold it together in the oven, you will either have to truss it well with cotton string or use butcher’s oven netting saved from a roast. To handle the large quantity of drippings, you will also need a 15x11-inch pan at least 2 1/2 inches deep and a larger pan, also having sides at least 2 1/2 inches deep, inside which the 15x11 inch pan fits with room to spare.

The ingredients are mostly easy to come by. Polish sausage can be substituted for Louisiana andouille sausage. Note that you will have to have some corn bread for the corn bread stuffing, and the whole project requires about 1 1/2 quarts of chicken stock.

PAUL PRUDHOMME’S TURDUCKEN

Seasoning Mix

Andouille Smoked Sausage Stuffing

Corn Bread Dressing

Oyster Dressing

1 (20-to 25-pound) whole turkey

1 (4- to 5-pound) whole domestic duckling

1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) whole chicken

Prepare Seasoning Mix, Andouille Smoked Sausage Stuffing, Corn Bread Dressing and Oyster Dressing.

Place cleaned turkey, breast side down, on flat surface. Cut through skin along length of spine. Using tip of knife and starting from neck end, gently separate meat from rib cage on one side. Toward neck end, cut through meat to expose shoulder blade; cut meat away from and around bone, severing bone at joint to remove shoulder blade. Disjoint wing between second and third joints.

Continue separating meat from frame, heading toward thighbone and being careful to keep the “oyster” (pocket of meat on back) attached to skin, rather than leaving with bone. Cut through ball-and-socket joint to release thighbone from carcass (bird will be open on one side, exposing bones left to deal with).

Continue separating meat away from carcass up to center front of breastbone. Then very carefully separate skin from breastbone at midline. (Go slowly to avoid piercing very thin skin.)

Repeat boning procedure on other side of bird. Carefully remove carcass and reserve for making stock. Cover boned turkey and chill.

Repeat process on duckling and chicken, but cutting off first 2 joints of wings, and deboning both stumps of wings and leg drumsticks (cut through flesh at thinnest point and trim around these bones with knife until they can be removed). Trim excess skin and fat from necks of birds. Chill, covered.

At least 13 to 14 hours before dinner, assemble Turducken. Spread turkey, skin down, on flat surface, exposing as much meat as possible. Rub 3 tablespoons Seasoning Mix evenly on meat. Spread over in even layer (about 3/4-inch thick) 7 cups cold Andouille Smoked Sausage Dressing.

Place duck, skin down, on top of Andouille dressing. Season exposed duck meat with about 1 tablespoon Seasoning Mix. Spread over 4 cups cold Corn Bread Dressing in even layer (about 1/2-inch thick).

Arrange chicken, skin down, evenly on top of Corn Bread Dressing. Season chicken meat with about 1 tablespoon Seasoning Mix. Spread over 3 cups cold Oyster Dressing in even layer (about 1/2-inch thick).

With another person’s help, carefully lift layered birds into ungreased 15x11-inch roasting pan, folding sides of turkey together to close bird. Have helper hold Turducken closed while you sew up all openings, making sure to plunge needle through flesh as well as skin and making stitches about 1 inch apart. Sew from either neck or tail end to middle of bird, then start again from opposite end to complete sewing. Turn Turducken over. Tie turkey legs together just above tip bones.

(Since Turducken has no skeleton, it must be trussed up or it may fall apart in cooking.) Tie cotton string around bird, widthwise, every inch of the bird’s length. Or slip butcher’s oven netting over it. Leave bird, breast side up, in roasting pan, with main stitching down.

Place 15x11-inch pan in larger pan that will catch dripping overflow during cooking. Season breast and leg skin with about 2 tablespoons Seasoning Mix.

Heat oven to exactly 190 degrees. Place pans in oven and bake Turducken until meat thermometer inserted through to center reads 165 degrees, about 12 to 13 hours. (There will be no need to baste, but accumulated drippings will have to be removed from the bird pan every few hours so lower portion doesn’t deep fry in the hot oil.) Remove Turducken from oven and let cool in pan at least 1 hour. Make gravy according to your favorite recipe.

With another person’s help, using strong spatulas inserted underneath Turducken, carefully transfer to serving platter. To serve, cut bird in half lengthwise. Carve crosswise so each slice reveals all 3 dressings and all 3 meats. Makes 15 to 25 servings.

Seasoning Mix

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, white pepper, thyme and black pepper. Mix well.

Andouille Smoked Sausage Stuffing

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

6 cups chopped onions

6 cups chopped celery

3 cups chopped green peppers

2 pounds andouille (smoked Louisiana sausage) or Polish sausage

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups very fine dry bread crumbs

Melt butter in large skillet over high heat. Add 3 cups onions, 1 1/2 cups celery and 1 1/2 cups green peppers. Saute until onions are dark brown but not burned, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Grind andouille sausage and add to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring frequently. Add remaining 3 cups onions, 1 1/2 cups celery and 1 1/2 cups green peppers, unsalted butter, paprika, garlic and hot pepper sauce, stirring well. Cook about 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in chicken stock and bring to simmer. Continue cooking until water evaporates and oil rises to top, about 10 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs and transfer mixture to ungreased 8-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees until browned on top, about 45 minutes, stirring and scraping pan bottom well every 15 minutes. Makes 7 cups.

Corn Bread Dressing

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons margarine

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/3 pound tender-cooked turkey, duck or chicken giblets, chopped finely

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

2 1/2 cups finely crumbled corn bread or corn muffin

1/2 (13-ounce) can evaporated milk (about 7/8 cup)

2 eggs

Combine salt, white pepper, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, onion powder and thyme in bowl and mix well.

Melt butter and margarine in large skillet. Add onion, green pepper, celery, garlic and bay leaf over high heat. Saute about 2 minutes. Add spice mixture and continue cooking until vegetables are barely wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add giblets, stock and hot pepper sauce and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add corn bread or corn muffin, evaporated milk and eggs, stirring well. Spoon dressing into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until browned on top, about 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 4 cups.

Oyster Dressing

1/2 pound shucked oysters in their liquor (about 20 small to medium oysters)

1 cup cold water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

3/4 cup margarine

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped green peppers

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup minced parsley

3 bay leaves

1 cup very fine dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Combine oysters and cold water in bowl and stir. Chill at least 1 hour. Strain and reserve oysters and oyster water. Chill until ready to use.

Combine salt, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, oregano and thyme in small bowl.

Melt 1/4 cup margarine in large pan over high heat. Add 3/4 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery and 1/2 cup chopped green pepper. Saute until onions are dark brown but not burned, about 8 minutes.

Stir in 2 teaspoons spice mixture and minced garlic into pan. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add remaining chopped onions, celery and green peppers, remaining 1/2 cup margarine and 1/4 cup chopped green onions, 1/4 cup minced parsley and bay leaves. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in reserved oyster water and cook over high heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining spice mixture and enough bread crumbs to make moist but not runny dressing. Remove from heat and stir in drained oysters. Spoon dressing into ungreased 8-inch baking pan and bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees 30 minutes. Remove from oven, discard bay leaves and stir in unsalted butter and remaining green onions and parsley. Makes about 3 cups.

CORN PUDDING

1/2 cup butter or bacon drippings

3 cups whole kernel corn

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup finely diced sweet red pepper

1/4 cup diced garlic

1/2 cup finely diced Louisiana hot sausage

1 tablespoon sugar

Salt

Cayenne pepper

4 eggs, separated

Chicken broth, optional

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in heavy-bottomed 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Saute corn, onions, celery, sweet red pepper, garlic and sausage 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with sugar, salt and cayenne to taste and cook 10 minutes more. Add little chicken broth if too dry.

Remove from heat and cool 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat egg yolks well, mix with shredded cheese and fold into corn mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into corn mixture.

Pour into well-oiled casserole dish. Place in water bath in center of 350-degree oven 1 hour. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipes from “The Prudhomme Family Cookbook,” copyright 1986 by Paul Prudhomme.