Turkey Dinner Recipes to Clip and Savor

OK, get out your scissors and clip the recipe below. Save it, and then savor the results when the holidays come around. It is the turkey for Thanksgiving or any other special occasion.

It is from Stuart Wilbur, and anyone who’s been trained by him (he calls himself a “personal trainer in the kitchen” rather than a caterer, which he also is) swears by it.

Wilbur is a skilled chef and organic gardener who specializes in creating specialized diets for people who must avoid salt, fats or other unhealthful substances. But he also trains his clients in food preparation “so they never feel deprived.”

And he makes and sells all-natural chutneys, sauces, pickles and salad dressings, in addition to staging full-course dinners for groups ranging from two to 200.

But it was the turkey that was recommended to this column by two other professional chefs in Orange County. For the adventuresome, we’re including his menu for a full Thanksgiving meal, except for dessert (“Have one of your guests bring the pumpkin pie,” he says. “You’ve done enough.”).

What makes the turkey different is that it’s perched (if you’ll excuse the pun) on a bed of rosemary, onions, apples and rock salt and roasted tightly sealed in aluminum foil. In the process, the rosemary flavor steams through the turkey, creating a truly exotic flavor while leaving the meat incredibly moist.

Wilbur always cooks the stuffing on the side, and what a stuffing it is--made with dried apricots, fresh cranberries, apples, pecans and croutons (or stuffing mix).

“And you can use this method for roasting the bird no matter if it’s the whole turkey or just the breast,” he says. “I usually have the butcher halve the bird and cook it that way because I like to finish it up on the barbecue. That way you can do the turkey a couple of days ahead of time if you’d like.” The only drawback to the recipe is getting rosemary at a decent price. “This becomes a very expensive dish if you buy rosemary at the supermarket,” he says. “Go to a farmers’ market or some other place where you can buy it in bulk. Or, better yet, find someone who, like me, has it as a ground cover in their yard, which is fairly common in Orange County.”

His whole Thanksgiving buffet includes appetizers of a pomegranate-walnut spread, pumpkin mousse, smoky eggplant, crudites and crisped pita slices. The rest of the meal includes the turkey, stuffing, tomatillo salsa, horseradish sauce, sweet potato salad, red cabbage salad, cranberry-lime relish and kumquat-carrot chutney. Space limitations, however, allow only the recipes below.

ROSEMARY TURKEY

Line a shallow roasting pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving enough hanging over the sides to completely seal afterward. Roughly chop two onions and two apples (they don’t have to be peeled because they will be discarded later) and spread on top of foil, along with several cups of rock salt. Completely cover the mixture with rosemary. Then, rub the turkey with salt and pepper and place breast-side up on the mixture. Place more rosemary on top of the turkey and tightly seal with the foil. Roast 30 minutes in a preheated 450-degree oven, reduce heat to 350 and continue cooking 20 minutes per pound for whole turkey or 15 minutes if quartered or halved. If you plan to serve immediately, 25 minutes before it’s done, uncover top, remove top rosemary branches and continue cooking until brown. If you plan to serve later, remove from oven and leave sealed in foil until you’re ready to brown on barbecue or grill.

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APRICOT-CRANBERRY STUFFING

1 package prepared stuffing mix

1/2 pound turkey or chicken sausage

1 cup onion, finely chopped

2 or 3 medium tart apples, diced

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup dried apricots, reconstituted in water

1/2 cup raw cranberries

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts

Giblets from turkey (optional)

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Simmer giblets in water until done. Cool broth, skim off fat and reserve. Cook sausage and dispose of fat. Mix all ingredients, moistened with leftover broth. Bake at 300 degrees in covered casserole for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep bottom from burning.

HORSERADISH SAUCE

1/2 cup nonfat yogurt

1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons white horseradish (or to taste)

Dash of balsamic vinegar

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Mix all ingredients and chill at least one hour before serving (can be made a week in advance).

CRANBERRY-LIME RELISH

2 12-ounce packages of raw cranberries

2 fresh limes, peeled and quartered

4 tangerines, peeled, seeded and quartered

3/4 cup turbinado sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

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Combine berries, lime and tangerine in food processor and add sugar and cinnamon. Chill for 2 or 3 days before serving.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

4 yams, peeled

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

2 small apples, chopped

1/2 cup currants

1/3 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

1/2 cup candied lemon rind

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Salad Dressing

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/8 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

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Peel and cut yams into bite-size pieces. Boil until just tender. Mix with all other ingredients and toss with dressing. Allow to chill at least 2 days before serving. Can also be served warm.

KUMQUAT-CARROT CHUTNEY

3 green pears

1 green apple

4 cups kumquats

1/2 cup turbinado sugar or apple juice concentrate

1/2 cup cider or rice vinegar

2 cups baby carrots

1/2 cup currants or golden raisins

Juice of 1 large orange

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

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Lightly steam carrots until tender. Reserving 1 pear, a few currants and a few carrots, chop, mix and cook all other ingredients in heavy pot until thickened. Chop and add reserved pear, carrots and currants. Chill overnight.