Tony the Turkey

There are few things that get me more pumped than Thanksgiving. And during Thanksgiving there are few things that get me more pumped than my mother’s Gravy.

I put this recipe in the November newsletter but because I believe it in it so deeply, I am putting it up on the blog as well.  This kicks off what should be a very busy blogging month, with lots of Thanksgiving recipes and wine suggestions, and profiles of some amazing winemakers that we will be hosting at the store this month.  So check back often and get ready to gobble it all up.

If you’ve already seen this recipe, all is not lost. At the end I added a music file of my son Noah singing Tony the Turkey, a catchy Thanksgiving tune he learned at school last year. Just when I had finally beaten it from my memory it’s back. And I’m secretly excited.

This picture is how it all starts. This is the base of my mother’s crazy insane, so good you dream about it all year, gravy. If making gravy intimidates you or if your gravy is never quite right, then print this recipe and make it this Thanksgiving. But first, opena bottle of 2008 PlumpJack Reserve Chardonnay from Napa Valley. Drink it while you make your stock (and in your stock!), while you cook your turkey and even with dinner. This white wine was made for Thanksgiving!

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, make a vegetable stock by piling all of the following into a big roasting pan:

• 1 Spanish Onion, cut in 1/8ths, skin on, root off
• 1 Bermuda Onion, cut in 1/8ths, skin on, root off
• 2 Leeks, cut in large pieces
• A few shallots, peeled and halved
• A couple of heads of Garlic, cut in half
• 1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut in large chunks
• Large handful of Cranberries
• 1 Orange, quartered
• 2 Bananas, cut in large chunks
• 2 Apples, quartered (One sweet like a Gala, one tart like a Granny Smith)
• 2 Ripe Pears, quartered
• A few Carrots in big chunks
• A few Celery stalks in big chunks
• A few Parsnips in big chunks
• Fresh Sage
• Fresh Thyme
• Fresh Parsley

Sprinkle some EVOO all over the pan and toss to coat. Roast in preheated 400 oven for 1.5 hours, stirring veggies a couple of times.

Remove from oven and add:

• A few bay leaves
• One bottle of white wine
• As many cups of water as your pan will hold (“6-8-10 whatever”)
• A few Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cubes
• A few Knorr Chicken Bouillon cubes

Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Cool. Strain through a metal sieve. Cool and store.

To make the gravy: Add as much stock as you need (make too much gravy, you will thank yourself later) to the turkey drippings. Taste for seasoning, then add pepper anyway. Add some more white wine (“why not!”). Thicken with a roux (my mom does not care to elaborate here, so look up a roux recipe on line). Let it simmer and come together. Done! Drown everything on your plate in gravy and enjoy!

Click here to hear Noah singing “Tony the Turkey” (age 3)

This entry was posted on Friday, November 5th, 2010 at 4:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.