European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                              T i me preparing a tradition Worth gobbling Down by Marty Tiitus Scripps Howard news service coking a Turkey is a very competitive event. I know because every year we have a kind of Turkey off at our House where i make one Bird and another guest makes another. Even though we pretend we re not trying to outdo each other we Are. Last year i decided to pull out All the stops and try a different method of cooking the Turkey the one where you Cook the Bird upside Down and flip it Halfway through to keep the White meat from drying out. I loved the results which gave us a More moist Bird but Only the not so faint at heart should try this technique. The chances of dropping the hot Bird on your toes Are  key to Success Spray the Turkey rack with one of those oils in a can and use big oven mitts that you Don t mind getting splattered. If that sounds like More than you can Deal with Here once again is the tried and True method along with Turkey tips from Butterball. Make sure the Turkey is completely thawed. Never thaw the Turkey on the counter at room temperature no matter How Many years youve done it without a problem. Turkey is extremely perishable thaw it in the refrigerator or in cold water in the original wrapper. Plan ahead. A16-Pound Bird May take As Long As four Days to thaw in the refrigerator and i info 10 hours in cold water. Make the stuffing just before putting it in the Turkey. Never stuff the Turkey the night before because of the danger of bacterial growth. Allow a cup of stuffing per / Pound if the Bird weighs More than .1.0 pounds allow 1/2cup of stuffing per Pound if the Turkey weighs less than 10 pounds. Vocook the Bird use a 2-Inch-deep pan with a rack or a disposable 3-Inch-deep pan with Barrack. Do no cover. Remember to support the disposable pan on the Bottom or double the pan for sturdiness. Use a rack even if the pan has bumps on the Bottom. A rack keeps the Turkey from stewing in its own juices and the bumps Are not High enough. A deeper pan 4 to 6 inches interferes with heat conduction. If that s your Choice however cover with a lid or crimp with foil to act As a lid. Rub the Turkey skin All Over with vegetable Oil. Insert meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh meat without touching the Bone. The Bird is done when the temperature reaches 180 to 185 degrees in the thigh. Roast the Turkey at 325 degrees. Do not put water in the Bottom of the pan because it makes the skin soft. I the skin tears the juices will escape and the Bird will dry out. When the Turkey turns Golden Brown Check during the last hour shield the Turkey breast loosely with lightweight aluminium foil. The roasting time will vary depending on weight follow the package directions. As a guideline for stuffed turkeys in an open pan a 10-Pound Bird will take about31/2 hours a 12-Pound Bird will take about four hours a 16-Pound Bird will take about 4v2 hours a 20-Poundbird will take about five hours. Remember times Given Are approximate and extra cooking time May be necessary. Your Best guide is the meat thermometer. Even if you have a pop up thermometer on the Bird double Check with a meat thermometer. The stuffing in the Bird needs to reach a temperature of 160 to 165degrees. Within two hours remove the stuffing from the Bird and refrigerate. Turkey will last two to three Days in the refrigerator. Remove meat from the Bones to maintain Quality. If it won t be eaten within that time freeze in an airtight package and eat within two to three months. Stuffing will last one to two Days in the refrigerator. Butterball has some new recipes to give of Tom a new look. Here s a recipe for Sweet italian Turkey sausage and Mozzarella stuffing and one for Butternut Squash risotto. Sweet italian Turkey sausage and Mozzarella stuffing 10 cups of Vonch cubes of Day old French and italian bread a cup plus 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 Pound Sweet italian Turkey sausage removed from the casings2 Large onions minced 3 cloves garlic minced t5 stalks celery trimmed Jirld Cut into i much Dice i Pound mushrooms cleaned and sliced thinly 1/3 cup Cream sherry3 ounces thinly sliced Genoa Salami Cut into matchsticks .3/4 Pound Mozzarella Cut into y4-Inch cubes tv4 Toi 2 cups Chicken broth11/2 Tablespoons dried italian seasoning blend in cups minced fresh Parsley Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a roasting Pap Large enough to hold them in single layer. Drizzle them with a cup Olive Oil tossing to coat the bread evenly. Toast the cubes in the oven stirring  lightly browned All Over about 15 , Cook the sausage in a Large Skillet Over medium High heat crumbling it into Small pieces with the Back of a wooden spoon until it is lightly browned All Over. Transfer the sausage to a Large mixing bowl an Combine it with the toasted bread cubes. Add the remaining two Tablespoons Olive Oil to the sausage drippings in the Skillet and return to medium High heat. Add the onions garlic and celery and saute until quite soft about 10 minutes. Stir in the sliced mushroom Sand Sherry and continue to saute until most of the liquid has evaporated about 7 minutes More. Add the vegetables to the  sausage mixture stirring thoroughly to Combine. Add the Salami and Mozzarella to the stuffing. Pour in enough Chicken Stock to make the stuffing begin to bind together. Season the mixture with the italian seasoning Parsley Salt and Pepper. Stuff the Turkey cavities immediately before roasting. Place any remaining stuffing in a buttered casserole and bake at 325 degrees until browned and crispy about 45 minutes. Makes enough stuffing for a 20 to 24-Pound Turkey. Guess who s coming for dinner much of it for the Centrepiece of the thanksgiving feast. Butternut Squash risotto 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 medium onion minced2 cups Butternut Squash peeled seeded and Cut into a Inch dices 1 Teaspoon Saffron threads2 cups arborio Short Grain Rice 5 to 6 cups Chicken stock1 cup White wine Viz cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 3 Tablespoons fresh Sage leaves coarsely chopped Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste heat the butter and Oil together Over medium High heat 8&s flt is come during the last three months of the year. A Large heavy Skillet add the onion and saute for five minutes until softened. Stir in the Squash and the Saffron and Cook four minutes More. Add the Rice and stir to coat enly with the vegetables. Add the wine to the Rice and Cook stirring constantly anti l the wine is almost completely absorbed about five minutes. Add the Chicken Stock gradually i cup at a. Time and continue cooking at a steady simmer stirring until the Broth is absorbed by the Rice. Continue adding Broth and stirring until the Rice is creamy and firm but not hard in the Center about 20 to 30 minutes total cooking time. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the Sage leaves then season with Salt and Pepper. Serves 8. Note the Rice May be prepared in Advance and re heated in the microwave. Sappho Toalton carve a Turkey first Cut through the joint that attaches Cut off and discard tall end my spoon out stuffing the thigh to the body and remove the leg thigh pieces. Remove wings and place the Furtey 6rasf Side up. Holding the carving knife parallel to the Platter make a Lengthwise Cut just above the Point where the Wing Bone was attached. Cut through to the breast Bone. Start carving the breast in thin slices working from the skin toward the breast Bone. Slice across the Grain of the meat. First Adfor the big meal s if life in t stressful enough last minute snafus can put you Over the top a thanksgiving. You know your Turkey is overcooked. Your aunt Sally forgot to mention that Niece Connie is bringing three extra people. Uncle George got sick and the family s staying Home to take care of  Are some Quick fix recipe ideas to keep the Holiday under control with a Little help from Western Dairy Farmers. If you re really the worrying Type you might just want to hit the grocery store today for a few basics just in Case. Items to include on that shopping list Chicken Broth a Chicken Cream cheese a Frozen Pound cake Frozen raspberries packaged Gravy and Frozen vegetables. Even if you Don t need these items they h keep and you la be covered for most emergencies. If you anticipate that you can t stretch the Turkey to feed everyone try cooking a Chicken or its parts and adding those to the tray. Little kids in particular will reach for the drumsticks. If the Turkey overlooks make up a Batch of thick Gravy. It hides a multitude of sins. If you can t get the Turkey to finish cooking always a major worry you have several options. First tent the Turkey in aluminium foil and turn up the oven 25 to 50degrees and see if that helps. You might also remove the stuffing because it slows Down the cooking process. Continue to Cook the stuffing in a separate Container. If it s still taking too Long the next option is to dismantle the Turkey into breast slices and pieces and continue cooking in the microwave or the oven. Cover and be careful not to dry it out. If the Turkey is under 12 pounds you can also try finishing it whole in the microwave. Soup is always a Good filler. In a Pinch add any kind of Noodle including Spaghetti to heated Chicken Broth. I you have any kind of vegetables Frozen Snow peas Frozen Corn add that to dress it up. If you re worried about having enough stuffing you can quickly Toast any kind of bread and cube. Cut up an onion and place in a Skillet with a stick of butter a Little egg beaten with water and Chicken Broth until moist enough to satisfy your palate. Season with Salt and Pepper and a Little Sage if desired and serve you could also mix this in with the stuffing removed from the Bird. If someone forgets the vegetable Side dish pull out a package of Frozen vegetables Cook and Drain. Add Cream cheese and stir. If you forgot to get Rolls or you need to fill up guests follow any muffin recipe add Frozen raspberries and vo/73, you have a delicious and filling accompaniment. If dessert is a bit skimpy try cutting a Pound cake in half and placing a layer of softened ice Cream in the Middle. Alternatively Combine whipped Cream cheese and Strawberry Yogurt and use As a dipping sauce for the Pound cake. Scripps Howard news service r s. 16 the stars and stripes saturday november 19,1994 the stars and stripes 17