Cajun Turkey And Old Fashioned Gravy Recipes

CAJUN TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Place giblets and neck in a saucepan with enough water to cover by 2 inches; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer giblets and neck to a cutting board.
• Finely mince heart, liver, and gizzard meat; reserve 1/3 cup minced meat. Remove meat from neck and finely mince. Mash neck meat in a mortar with a pestle.
• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute green bell pepper in hot oil until fragrant and slightly softened, about 1 minute. Pour water and broth into saucepan. Immediately whisk cornstarch and flour into broth mixture until smooth.
• Stir minced meat, mashed neck meat, cubed turkey, milk, vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley flakes into broth mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy is thick, 30 to 35 minutes.

CAJUN TURKEY AND GRAVY RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, high-walled, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey breast, skin-side down, and sear until golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Flip the turkey breast, then scatter the celery, onion, and garlic around the pan.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and cook, basting with the pan juices every 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the turkey breast reaches 165°F (75°C), about 75 minutes. Add water as needed if the bottom of the pan is starting to burn.
• Remove the turkey from the pan and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, strain the turkey drippings through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup. Add water to reach 1 cup total liquid.
• Add the pan drippings and water to a small saucepan, along with the prepared gravy packet. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5-7 minutes.
• Carve the turkey into ½-inch slices and serve with the gravy.
• Enjoy!

OLD-FASHIONED TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat strained drippings in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock until smooth. Bring to a simmer, and cook, whisking often, until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in salt.

CAJUN TURKEY AND OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY

Steps:

• In a large bowl or ice chest large enough to hold turkey and liquid, combine water, salt and sugar and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Place turkey inside of brining liquid (liquid should cover turkey completely) and marinate turkey overnight (refrigerated). Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. When ready to cook the turkey, in a small bowl whisk together corn syrup, cane syrup, butter and Creole seasoning. Remove turkey from brining liquid and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on a rack, breast side down, and baste with syrup-butter mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 300 degrees F and continue baking for another 45 minutes, breast side down, basting every 30 minutes. Turn turkey over and continue cooking, about 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature in the deepest part of the thigh reads 155 degrees F. Let turkey rest while you make the gravy. In a saucepan, place 1 1/2 cups of pan drippings and add trinity and garlic. Add turkey neck and giblets and simmer over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Whisk in flour and combine well, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and stir well to combine. Cook 5 minutes, or until thickened, and season with salt, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Let simmer 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Strain and serve immediately with roast turkey. Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast): Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup

GRANDMA'S TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour drippings into a 2-cup measuring cup. Skim fat, reserving 1/4 cup. Add enough broth to the drippings to measure 2 cups., Saute shallot in reserved fat in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour, salt, onion powder, poultry seasoning and pepper until blended; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until browned (do not burn). Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

HOLIDAY TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place turkey wings and onions in a roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, until well browned, about 1 hour. Transfer wings and onions to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add water to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Add to slow cooker. Stir in 6 cups broth, carrots and thyme. Cook, covered, on low 4 hours., Remove wings; discard or save for another use. Strain and discard vegetables from turkey stock; skim fat. In a 6-qt. stockpot, melt butter over medium-low heat; whisk in flour, pepper and remaining broth until smooth. Slowly whisk in stock; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer and stir until gravy reaches desired consistency.

OLD-FASHIONED ROASTED TURKEY WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey, and chill for gravy. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine 1 teaspoons each mixed-up salt, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, sage, and pepper; sprinkle cavity and outside of turkey with mixture.
• Place turkey, breast side up, in a large roasting pan, tucking wingtips under. Pour 2 cans chicken broth into roasting pan; drizzle melted butter over turkey.
• Bake, uncovered at 450°F for 1 hour. reduce heat to 425°F, shield with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 180F, basting every 45 minutes with pan drippings.
• Bring remaining 3 cans broth, neck, giblets, carrots, and next 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Remove turkey to a serving platter, reserving drippings in roasting pan. Skim excess fat from drippings in pan, if desired.
• Pour giblet mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into drippings in roasting pan, discarding solids. Bring to a boil in roasting pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan.
• Stir together flour and 1/2 cup water until smooth; add to giblet mixture, and over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoons each of mixed-up salt, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning. Serve with turkey. Garnish if desired.

OLD FASHIONED GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt butter in sauce pan until bubbly; add flour and stir well. The roux will be thick.
• Add drippings if you have any (not needed, but makes the flavour deeper).
• Add chicken broth 1/4 cup at a time and stir well in between addings. Before adding the last 1/2 cup make sure that the gravy comes up to a slight boil as it will get thicker and thicker. Add the last chicken broth.
• You may find that you need to add more/less chicken broth - it will depend on how thick you want your gravy.
• Add salt and pepper to taste - remember to add enough salt to get the full flavour of the gravy out. The 3/4 tsp is what our family likes.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY WITH HERBED STUFFING AND OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Lightly brush roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in roasting pan.
• Remove plastic or paper packet of giblets from turkey (usually in small cavity). Remove from packaging and rinse; reserve gizzard and heart; discard floppy, dark purple liver. Remove neck from large cavity. Remove from packaging, rinse, and reserve. Using tweezers or needlenose pliers, remove any feathers and quills still attached to skin (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others). Pull off and reserve any visible pale yellow knobs of fat from either side of tail (not found on all birds).
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with metal skewer. Loosely fill large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to buttered dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to rack in roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks loosely together with kitchen string. Rub turkey all over with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.
• Transfer gizzard, heart, neck, and reserved turkey fat to roasting pan around rack. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices (lift up foil to reach breast area) and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours more (2 1/4 hours total). Baste again and, if pan juices have evaporated into glaze, add 1 cup stock to pan. Roast another 45 minutes (3 hours total). Remove foil from breast area, baste, and add stock if necessary, until instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 1 hour more (4 hours total).
• Insert instant-read thermometer into center of stuffing in body cavity. If thermometer does not read 165°F, transfer stuffing to microwave-safe baking dish and microwave on high until 165°F, about 3 minutes for 10 degrees. Cover and keep warm. Using turkey holders (or by inserting large metal serving spoon into body cavity), transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let stand 30 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing and make gravy: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Remove giblets and neck from roasting pan and discard. Pour pan juices into measuring cup or gravy separator. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and reserve fat or, if using separator, carefully pour juices into measuring cup, reserving fat left in separator.
• Transfer foil-covered dish of extra stuffing to oven and bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough remaining stock to pan juices to total 4 cups. Measure turkey fat, adding melted butter if necessary to total 6 tablespoons. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners on moderate heat and add fat. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, then cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in pan juice-stock mixture and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm. (Gravy can be kept warm over very low heat, covered, up to 20 minutes. If it thickens, thin with additional stock before serving. If skin forms on top, whisk well to dissolve.)
• When extra stuffing has baked 10 minutes, remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Pour gravy through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, then transfer to gravy boat. Carve turkey and serve gravy and stuffing alongside.
• Test-Kitchen Tips:
• •To combat dryness, most frozen turkeys and some fresh are injected with a saline solution. This is not a good thing, though: Injected birds generally lack flavor and can have a mushy texture. For this reason, we recommend buying a fresh turkey and checking the label to be sure there aren't any additives. (Look for the words "all natural.") Don't be too concerned, though, with the many other terms that can be applied to turkeys, such as free-range, organic, or heritage. All can be excellent.
• •When buying a fresh bird, be sure to purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving. If you must get a frozen bird, defrost it in the refrigerator in a pan to catch drips, allowing a full 24 hours for each 5 pounds.
• •Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the stuffing to make sure it's 165°F, the temperature at which bacteria will be killed. If it's not 165°F, scoop it out of the cavity and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •More stuffing tips: Be sure not to overpack the cavities, as the stuffing will expand during cooking. Loosely fill the turkey, then spread the extra in a casserole dish (no more than 2 inches deep) and bake it after the turkey comes out (be sure to refrigerate it until then to impede bacteria growth). Drizzle the portion in the casserole dish with extra stock to make up for the juices it won't get from the turkey. If you want the stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey to be extra-moist (as opposed to having a crisp crust where it's exposed), cover the exposed portion with a small piece of aluminum foil.
• •Opinions vary on whether or not to stuff the bird-some people think it can cause uneven cooking. If you prefer not to stuff your bird, fill the cavities with a chopped vegetable and herb mixture that will impart its flavor to the meat and pan juices: Chop 1 onion, 1 celery rib with leaves, 1 carrot, and 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Mix this with 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, and thyme. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the mixture inside. An unstuffed bird will take about 15 minutes to a half hour less to cook than a stuffed bird. When the turkey is cooked, tilt it to allow any juices that have collected in the cavity to drain into the pan. Do not serve the vegetable mixture, as it may not have cooked to a safe temperature.
• •This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve more people. Estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Cooking times (for a stuffed bird, cooked at 325°F to an internal temperature of 180°F) will be as follows: 8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours 20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
• •Some experts prefer to cook their turkeys to an internal temperature of 170°F (rather than 180°F, as in this recipe). If you don't mind having the meat slightly pink, this is perfectly safe and makes it more moist. However, Rick Rodgers, who created this recipe, believes that the dark meat in particular does not achieve its optimum flavor and texture until it reaches 180°F. If you choose to stuff your turkey and cook it to only 170°F, its stuffing will almost definitely not reach the safe temperature of 165°F. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the center of the stuffing, and if necessary remove it and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •Letting the turkey stand for half an hour after it comes out of the oven is an essential part of the roasting process. When meat roasts, its juices move to the outer edge of the flesh. Letting it rest gives the juices time to redistribute, making for a moister turkey. An added bonus: The resting time provides an excellent window of opportunity to make the gravy and reheat the side dishes. There's no need to cover the bird-it'll stay warm enough, and covering it would only soften the crispy skin.

CHEF JOHN'S MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine onion, carrots, celery, and vegetable oil in a large roasting pan and toss to coat. Place turkey wings on top of vegetables
• Place roasting pan in the preheated oven and cook until the turkey wings are browned and vegetables are caramelized and softened, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Transfer turkey wings and vegetables to a large stockpot. Place the roasting pan over a stovetop burner on medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons cold water into the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer mixture to the stockpot and add 10 cups cold water, thyme, and garlic.
• Bring turkey wing mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until meat falls off the bone, about 3 hours. Skim off turkey fat throughout the process and set aside 2 tablespoons.
• Strain turkey stock and reserve 6 cups of stock; discard all the solids.
• Heat butter and 2 tablespoons reserved turkey fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook, whisking continuously, until it begins to smell like cooked pie crust, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly pour in turkey stock, whisking continuously. Increase heat to high and simmer until thick and warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.