Have noticed that the world has many different sorts of Turkey available this Christmas season, but which is the best for me? bronze turkey, white turkey, free range, organic, ethically reared, turkey crowns and what does it all mean?  I try to explain a bit more about all things Turkey here :-

• Bronze Turkey – the bronze turkey, most like the original wild turkey, slightly more gamier, usually traditionally or free range reared, can have a little black stubble when prepared before cooking, moist rich flavour, finely grained meat
• White Turkey -generally a larger breasted bird, clean skin, short legs
• Black Turkey – fuller gamier flavour than the white turkey with a smaller breast, the black turkey is the traditional British bird
• Free Range – definition, poultry that range freely for food rather than being confined, UK Trading Standards state that “free range” the poultry must have continuous daytime access to open air runs, access to ground mainly covered with vegetation and each have at least 10 square metres of ground available
• Ethically Reared – should be free range, high welfare, small scale family farms with lots of space, TLC and basically ”Quality Life” not to be confused with Organic or GM free
• Organic Turkey – Produced according to the Organic Standards, Definition of Organic Poultry from the Soil Association is here
• Turkey Crown – this is basically a whole turkey with the legs and wings removed, easier to carve, cook and less waste
• Basted – Basted or pre-basted can mean it’s been injected with fat & salt ! beware and read the label!
• How big a Turkey do I need? for a quick calculation allow a minimum of 1lb per person, more if your hoping for lots of leftovers for additional meals e.g. cold turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day or Turkey Curry!
• Does size matter! – Do you need one massive Turkey or would two smaller turkey’s be better and easier?  Smaller turkeys will cook much more quickly than one huge Turkey and will usually end up being more moist as haven’t been in the oven for as long as a big turkey.  Is the fridge/oven big enough for your huge turkey!!
• Christmas Turkey – the traditional meal of choice served on Christmas Day along with all the trimmings, cocktail sausages, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon), sage & onion stuffing or  chestnut stuffing, sausagemeat stuffing or my favourite sausagemeat balls, accompanied by veg, Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, roasted parsnips, carrot & turnip, peas or other veg and gravy, not forgetting the cranberry sauce and/or bread sauce.
• Thanksgiving Turkey – as above but American version! never had one so not sure what the extra’s would be…
• Turkey Dogs – Copas Turkey’s round up the Free Range Turkey’s at dusk with 2 farm sheep turkey dogs!
• Stuffing – Cook your stuffing separately from the bird its much safer as stuffing the bird can prevent the core of the bird cooking properly, you can still add some meat juices from the roasting tin for flavour.  Hope to do some stuffing recipes soon including if your lucky, Mum’s superb Sausagemeat ball’s!
• Cooking the Turkey – Have checked various opinions on this and this looks like the clearest instructions are these from Copas Turkeys :-

Place your turkey or turkey crown in an oven pre-heated to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8.  Cook at this temperature for the first 30 mins (or for the first hour for birds over 5kg) and then lower the oven temperature to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.  Total cooking time will be approximately 30-35 mins per kg.   Please see table below.

About half an hour before the full cooking time, remove foil and turn the bird over so the breast bronzes.

Copas Turkey Cooking Times

• Carving the Turkey – Remove turkey from roasting tray & allow to stand in a warm place for 15-30 minutes prior to carving.
  1. Hold the turkey leg by the knuckle
  2. Cut close to the body & twist off, then carve this dark leg meat
  3. Remove the wing & cut in half
  4. Slice the breast meat from one side
  5. Repeat for the other side

Alternatively remove the whole breast by sliding the knife down the breast bone and then carve the breast into slices, serve on plate with gravy poured over the top….

Turkey Trivia -

• Scientific Name – Meleagris gallopava
• Yorkshireman William Strickland is believed to have brought the first Turkeys to Britain in 1526
• Edward VII made eating turkey fashionable at Christmas

Turkey Jokes -  maybe not!

Jamie Oliver has a new project starting on Channel 4 at the end of September – “Jamies Ministry of Food“, he is attempting to educate the nation in healthy eating, how to cook basic, quality, healthy and nutritious food, he is starting in Rotherham and the tv show is accompanied by a new book Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours and is part of the “Pass it on” campaign, this is basically Jamie’s plea to you - if you have a friend or relation who can’t cook then buy them this book, get them to watch the tv show and help them learn to cook few basic meals.  As Mr Oliver says “Nice One!”

paganum steak

A few short sharp steak cooking tips :-

• Make sure you start with good quality steak, preferably with a nice bit of fat and well hung for a minimum of 21 to 28 days.
• The Pan. Make sure you use a heavy pan and get it really hot so that you can brown and caramelize the steak when sealing it.
• Don’t mess with the steak, just leave it and let it brown and sizzle don’t keep prodding or turning it, the less messing the better.
• Brush with oil before dropping into the pan.
• Marco Pierre White suggests mixing a Knorr beef stock cube with a little olive oil into a paste and coat the steak with that before frying.  He swears by it.
• Season steak with good quality sea salt like Maldon Sea Salt before frying.
• For a medium cut steak, that is, not cut very thick, 2 to 3 minutes per side should give you a medium rare steak, increase timings for medium and medium to well, if you want it well done reconsider !!  go on try it medium or medium to well.
• The steak touch or poke test, people use various systems but here are the main two I am aware of! Compare the softness in the fleshy muscle part of your thumb when you poke it with your finger to the feel when you prod the steak with the same finger!!  so for rare steak it should feel like your thumb touching your index finger, for medium rare - thumb touching your middle finger, medium – thumb to ring finger and medium to well done your little finger.  After you’ve tried this method you’ll get the idea, how it should feel follows.
• Very Rare Steak – feels soft and squishy
  Rare Steak – soft to the touch
  Medium-Rare Steak – yields gently to the touch
  Medium Steak – yields only slightly to the touch, beginning to firm up
  Medium-Well Steak – firm to the touch
  Well-Done Steak – hard to the touch
• Link to a video of Jonny Gilmore cooking the Perfect Steak at the Devonshire Arms Bolton Abbey
• Let me know your own top steak tips….

Our first attempt at a short video on how to cook the perfect steak is now on you tube, featuring Jonny Gilmore from the Devonshire at Bolton Abbey here in the Yorkshire Dales, Jonny prepares 3 well hung sirloin steaks cooking 1 rare, 1 medium and 1 well done.  Tips on the pan, seasoning and resting your steaks.  You can view the Perfect Steak video on You Tube here

How to cook the perfect steak on video!!  In collaboration with RecordedDevilery and the Devonshire Arms both from  Bolton Abbey we have been trying to put  ”the Perfect Steak” onto film for a short video on how to cook the perfect Yorkshire Dales Sirloin Steak.  It didn’t quite wotk out with the sound being a little quiet in places but you get the idea, check out the first attempt in preview format here “How to Cook The Perfect Steak” have a look and let me know what you think and how we should improve it…..