1 Doubled Recipe corn bread
- Prepare a week before and
- break up to dry
1 1/2 Loaves GOOD white bread
- Begin drying w/corn bread
- one week before.
20 lb Turkey
2 1/2 lg Onions, diced
Celery hearts and leaves,
- diced to equal same amount
- as onions
Chicken broth
Butter
Water
Salt and pepper
Sage
6 Eggs
Flour
One week before: Bake a 9 x 13 pan of corn bread.
Cool. Break into chunks and put in very large
Tupperware container or large roasting pan. Add 1 &
1/2 loaves of bread - spread slices for drying moving
around daily, and breaking up as the slices dry out.
Use good bread ~ the cheap stuff is NOT as good! Keep
covered with a clean dish towel, do NOT seal with lid.
PREPARATION AND COOKING: Clean a a thawed turkey
(thaw in the refrigerator about 3-4 days for a 20
pound turkey). Place the turkey breast DOWN in a large
roasting pan (enamel is great). Add the neck and
giblets. Slice about 2 sticks of butter and place
these all over the turkey. Open one can chicken broth
and pour in the bottom of the pan. If the roaster lid
fits, use it to cover the turkey. If it doesn't, make
a cover with heavy foil by tearing off two pieces of
foil about 12 inches longer than the pan and make a
"sealed" fold along the lengthwise edges. Put over the
turkey like a tent - that is, leave some space in the
center rather than having the foil touch the turkey.
Pinch the edges of the foil tightly around all edges
to seal juices in as turkey bakes. Bake in a 325
degree oven until about 1 hour BEFORE the turkey is
completely done! You'll have to check a 20 lb turkey
in about 2 1/2 hours or 3 hours. If your turkey is TOO
done, it will not be as good. Ideally, the meat should
not be falling away from the bones. Set a timer for 2
1/2 hours... and about 1 hour before you think the
turkey is ready for adding the stuffing, begin
preparing it. Do NOT prepare too far ahead of time.
Dice the onions and celery hearts/leaves (if you don't
have hearts, use lots of leaves - this is one of the
"secrets" of my stuffing). Together, the onions and
celery should equal at least 6 cups, more or less.
Remove the turkey carefully. Move the turkey to
another container (I use the roaster lid or an
aluminum baking pan). Pour the broth through a
strainer into the sauce pan you'll be using to make
the gravy. Retain the rest for the stuffing. If more
liquid is needed, use cans of chicken broth and/or 1
stick of butter to 1 cup of water. Into a large
container (I use the huge Tupperware bowl), put the
dried corn bread, bread, onions & celery. Pour in any
left-over broth. This may be hot, so wait for it to
cool. Mix with a large wooden spoon. Add enough
chicken broth to cool the mixture enough that it can
be mixed with your hands. Each hardened piece of corn
bread and bread should be smashed with your fingers.
When the mixture is cool enough that it won't cook the
eggs, add the eggs. Remember to break the eggs into
another container. This will prevent egg shells in
your stuffing!!! (Eggs in stuffing: Another secret.)
Add salt, lots of pepper, and lots of sage. Mix by
hand, adding more broth as needed for a nice thick and
moist mixture - not too sloppy. Taste it! This is
where YOUR judgment comes into play. The stuffing
should have a hint of pepper, and a definite taste of
sage. When the stuffing looks right and tastes right,
start putting it in the bottom of the roaster. Put in
enough so that you have about 1/2" of stuffing in the
pan. Now place the turkey ON TOP of the stuffing,
breast UP. Continue adding the stuffing all around the
turkey. If you have enough, you can completely bury
the turkey in stuffing! Bury the neck and giblets in
the stuffing - push then in and cover them. (My
favorite part of the turkey is the neck - no one in my
family DARES to use it in gravy!) If you want giblet
gravy (ugh!) hold back the giblets and do your thing
with them. Cover as before, return to the oven for
about 2 hours, or until celery and onions are tender.
Make gravy by adding a couple of large scoops of
stuffing into the retained broth. Make thickening of
flour and water (or cornstarch) to thicken your gravy
as desired. If you don't have enough broth, open
another can of Chicken broth! This turkey is NOT
"pretty as a picture" but I guarantee it's the most
delicious way in the world to prepare turkey and
stuffing (or chicken and stuffing). Clem's
grandmother raised fourteen children and this was the
only way to prepare enough "dressing" for the entire
family. Of course, she cooked her meals in a wood cook
stove. This method of preparation was handed down to
Clem's mother who then taught it to me....Joyce Kohl
Taken from: IT NEVER TURNS OUT THE SAME WAY COOKBOOK
A Collection of Recipes from the Kitchen of Joyce &
Clem Kohl
