Turkey Stock For Stuffed Pumpkin Food

PUMPKIN STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
• Cut pumpkin in half, and then cut each half into several pieces. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool, peel away skin, and dice. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, thyme, and sage, and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Season, to taste, with salt and cracked black pepper.
• Meanwhile, crumble the stale cornbread into a large bowl. Add sauteed vegetables to the corn bread crumbs. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, beaten egg, and roasted pumpkin and mix well. Then add the chicken stock and mix well.
• Transfer stuffing into a medium-sized casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes.
• To serve, cut stuffing into squares and garnish with a couple sprigs of parsley.

TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Combine turkey carcass, onions, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, chicken bouillon cubes, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a stockpot; pour in enough water to cover. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors blend, about 1 hour. Remove stockpot from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain stock through a cheese cloth and discard solids.

ROASTED TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Using a sturdy knife or your hands, cut or tear turkey carcass into large pieces. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan and roast until brown and sizzling, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and transfer pieces to a stockpot.
• Add onions, carrots and celery to the empty roasting pan and place over medium heat. Sauté briefly, just to loosen the crusty turkey bits from bottom of pan.
• Return pan to oven and cook until vegetables are browned around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and place it over medium heat. Add white wine and cook, stirring, until wine is reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes.
• Add wine-vegetable mixture to stockpot. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns and chile. Add 6 quarts water and place over medium-high heat just until mixture comes to a boil.
• Immediately reduce heat to low, skim any foam floating on top and simmer, skimming as needed, for 3 hours. Add 1 teaspoon salt and taste. If stock tastes watery, keep simmering until stock is flavorful. Taste for salt again and add more if needed.
• Strain stock through a sieve into a large container or containers. Discard solids. Let stock cool slightly, then refrigerate. Skim off any fat from the top of the stock. Use within 4 days or freeze.

TURKEY IN BAKED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut a slice off the top of the pumpkins or squash to make a lid, then scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers from the pumpkin and lid. Season the inside with salt and pepper and place a tablespoon of butter inside each pumpkin. Place the pumpkins and lids on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat and saute the turkey cubes until they are golden on all sides. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the turkey to a plate and cover loosely. In the remaining fat, saute the onion and Poblanos with the salt and pepper until onions are soft, 35 minutes. Add the tomato and cook 20 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the turkey, along with the stock. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and parsnips and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the corn and stir well to combine. Remove from the heat and add the pears, apricots and chives. Adjust the seasoning. Add the rice. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to the pumpkin, filling the pumpkin and replacing the lid. Return to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
• To serve, transfer the pumpkin to a serving platter and carefully spoon the stew directly from the pumpkin into individual shallow bowls. Watch that the pumpkin shell does not break when scooping. The pumpkin will be very soft inside and mash into the sauce to thicken it a little.

TURKEY STOCK FOR STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large roasting pan, combine turkey gizzards and neck with white onions and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer and roast until meat and vegetables are very brown, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.
• Transfer contents of roasting pan to a large pot. Add carrots, parsley, mushrooms, sage, and enough water to just cover (2 to 3 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Strain stock through a fine sieve lined with four layers of cheesecloth; discard solids. (At this point, stock can be cooled completely and refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months in an airtight container; thaw in the refrigerator before using.)
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium. Saute red onion until completely soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add strained stock and the thyme and cook at a bare simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock again through a fine sieve and discard solids. Season with salt and pepper. (Stock can be allowed to cool and then refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; reheat over medium before serving.)

TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients into a large stock pot or your biggest saucepan, and top up with 2 litres water. Add more water to cover all the ingredients if needed.
• Bring to a simmer over a high heat, skimming off any foam that appears on top of the liquid with a spoon. Reduce to a medium heat, then simmer, half covered, for 3 hrs - the stock will have reduced and concentrated its flavours. Or, if you prefer a lighter stock, cover fully while simmering.
• Turn off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes, then carefully strain into a container or bowl to cool completely. Will keep in the fridge for a week and for three months in the freezer.