Fresh Basil-Orange Roast Turkey
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: About 2 hours
Total time: About 2 1/2 hours
Yield: Serves 16 to 18
Categories:
Ingredients
Seasoning Blend:- 1/2 of a medium red onion
- 6 large cloves garlic
- 1 tightly-packed cup fresh basil leaves
- Grated zest of one large orange
- 1 teaspoon mild chile powder
- 1 teaspoon each dry oregano and ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- Juice of half the orange
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 16 to 18 pound hormone- and antibiotic-free (organic if possible) turkey (set aside neck, giblets and wing tips for gravy)
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 bottle dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or chardonnay)
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Instructions
- 1. Combine all seasoning blend ingredients in food processor and finely chop.
- 2. Preheat oven to 325°F. and set a single rack as low as possible in the oven. Slip the seasonings under the turkey's skin wherever you can. Rub the rest over the interior and exterior of the bird.
- 3. Line a large shallow roasting pan with the carrots and celery. Set turkey on them breast side down. Roast 15 minutes to the pound, or until an instant-read thermometer tucked into the thickest part of the thigh reads 175°. Shift the turkey every so often to keep breast from sticking.
- 4. After turkey has been in oven for 30 minutes, pour 1/3 of the wine over the bird, and baste frequently with pan juices. Continue adding wine over the next hour. Then baste with pan juices. During the last 30 minutes, carefully turn over turkey to brown breast area. Remove turkey from oven, arrange on a large platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 30 to 45 minutes in a warm place while making gravy and finishing the rest of the meal. Carve turkey at table.
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About The Show
In 1994, acclaimed food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rossetto Kasper was receiving accolades for her debut book, The Splendid Table, which at that time was the only book to have won both the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook of the Year awards. Among the many people enchanted by the book was producer and foodie Sally Swift, who thought the time could be right for a radio program on food.
