The Glaze
The Turkey
- ¼ stick butter
- 4½ cups chopped onions
- 15 to 25lb. turkey. Reserve neck, gizzard, heart
- 2 cups chopped organic carrots
- 2 cups chopped organic celery; leave on leaves
- 1½ cups chopped organic tomatoes
- 9-10 cups canned chicken gravy
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup organic unbleached all-purpose white flour
Making The Glaze
Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Freeze until mixture begins to firm up but is still spreadable, about 30 minutes. Set aside ½ cup of the mixture for the gravy. The glaze can be made a day in advance.
Preparing The Turkey
Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and reserved turkey parts and sauté until onions are very deep brown, about 22 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and tomatoes to skillet and toss to blend. Remove from heat. Cover and chill. This mixture can be made a day in advance.
Set rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400ºF. Place small rack in center of large roasting pan. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with turkey parts around rack. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Rub ½ cup citrus glaze over breast meat under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into neck and main cavities. Tuck wing tips under turkey; tie legs togetherloosely to hold shape. Brush ¼ to ½ glaze over top and sides of turkey (not on the bottom). Reserve remaining glaze.
Sprinkle turkey generously with salt and pepper. Cover turkey (not pan) loosely with foil. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Add 1 c. broth to pan. Press foil snugly around turkey (not pan). Roast 1 hour, 15 minutes. Add 1 c. broth to pan. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thich registers 175ºF, adding 1 c. broth every 30 minutes, lifting foil to baste wtih pan juices and removing foil during last 15 minutes to brown turkey, about 3½ hours longer if unstuffed, or 4 hours 15 minutes longer if stuffed. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes. (Internal temperature of turkey will increase by 5-10 degrees. Reserve pan juices.
Making The Gravy
Strain pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract some pulp and as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. Spoon fat from top of juices. Discard fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices in cup to measure 6 cups.
Stir reserved citrus glaze in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Gradually add flour. Whisk 1 minute. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to medium. Boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Brush any remaining glaze over turkey. Serve turkey with gravy.
Makes 16 servings.
