These 3 Thanksgiving Recipes Put the Pleasure Back in Cooking - WSJ

Step 1

Up to 3 days before grilling, make the tare: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add turkey neck, season with salt and sauté until browned on both sides.Add shoyu, mirin, sake, water, ginger, maple syrup and brown sugar. Simmer to reduce by one-quarter, about 10 minutes. Discard turkey neck. Let cool. Rinse turkey in a large bowl of water set in sink, removing any innards, and pat dry. Place turkey in oven bag and pour in cooled tare, rubbing sauce inside cavity and around joints. Refrigerate, flipping and turning bag once or twice, at least 12-24 hours and up to 3 days. 3 hours before serving, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or meat smoker. When fire has died down and coals have begun to whiten at edges, adjust temperature to hold at 350 degrees. Lift turkey from bag and set aside. Pour tare into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce to a dipping-sauce consistency, 5-10 minutes. Rub a roasting pan that fits on grill with oil. Toss scallions with a little oil, salt and pepper. Lay 1 bunch in pan, and set turkey on top. Tuck wings under turkey, then cross legs and tie with kitchen string. Cut 1 bunch of scallions in half, and add to cavity with smashed ginger. Cover hole with 1 lime half, and tuck the other half under neck skin. Rub turkey with oil, and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Grill turkey at 350 degrees, basting at least twice with melted butter and tare, until evenly golden brown, about 1 hour. Lay remaining scallions alongside turkey, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Continue cooking until an internal thermometer stuck into thickest part of turkey thigh reads 165 degrees, 45-60 minutes more. In the last half hour, drop damp wood chips onto coals to smoke. Let turkey rest on a cutting board 20 minutes. Warm a platter in oven. Transfer scallions to warm platter, stacked on one side. Carve turkey and arrange on platter with scallions. Pour remaining tare into a gravy boat or cruet to pass.

Step 2

Rinse turkey thighs and pat dry. If they’re bone-in, set them skin-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice along either side of thigh bone to free one joint and then the other, and remove the bone. Trim off any cartilage.Transfer thighs to a large bowl. Add salt, black pepper, 4 cloves minced garlic and minced rosemary. Toss with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. Make the stuffing: If using fresh chestnuts, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a paring knife to score round side of each chestnut with a shallow “x” and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast until shells begin to roll back and center of chestnut feels tender, 20-30 minutes. Holding warm chestnuts in a towel, use a paring knife to peel off shells and skins. Roughly chop chestnut meat. (Chestnuts can be prepped 4 days in advance and refrigerated in a sealed plastic bag.) If oven is not already on, preheat to 375 degrees. Trim stem end of leek. Cut off dark green tops where they begin to branch, and discard. Remove wilted outer leaves from pale green and white parts of leek. Halve leek lengthwise and rinse thoroughly under running water. Slice each half into long strips, then crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Heat 8 tablespoons butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add diced celery and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, cook 1 minute more, and remove from heat. Place bread crumbs in a large bowl. Pour warm leek mixture over bread, then add chopped chestnuts, parsley and minced rosemary, and mix to coat. Add eggs, grated Parmesan, nutmeg and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and mix to combine. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to let bread absorb moisture. Stir in 3 tablespoons stock. Stuffing should be moist but not soggy. If still dry, add a little more stock. Stuff and roast the turkey thighs: Rub a large, low-sided roasting pan with oil. Lay marinated turkey thighs, skin-side down, on a cutting board. Divide stuffing among thighs, patting it gently into a mound in center of meat. Roll up thighs, shaping them into a tight cylinder, and transfer them to roasting pan. Leave a little space between thighs to allow skin to brown and crisp. Dot top of each thigh with a generous dollop of soft butter. Roast until the skin turns evenly brown, about 45 minutes. Baste turkey thighs, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an internal thermometer inserted into center of thigh reads 175 degrees, about 20 minutes more. Remove roasting pan from oven. Place a platter in oven briefly to warm. Once thighs have rested, transfer to warmed platter. Make the Sherry jus: Set roasting pan on stove over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until shallots soften, about 10 minutes. Add Sherry and bring to a simmer. Immediately add stock and rosemary, whisking to combine. Bring jus to a gentle simmer and cook until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, mix remaining softened butter with flour to make a paste, and add it bit by bit to sauce, whisking to get a thin, pourable consistency. Strain and keep warm. Serve thighs whole or in ¾-inch-thick slices, on warmed platter. Pour jus into bottom of platter, avoiding the crisp turkey skin.

Step 3

Make the stuffing: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice and cook, uncovered, until tender, 15 minutes. Drain and rake out onto a plate to cool. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add butter, then shallots. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine pork and turkey, splash with Cognac and mix lightly with your hands to combine. Add cooled rice, cooked shallots, ginger, pepper, allspice, parsley and pistachios. Season with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and turn mixture over with your hands to gently mix. Set aside. If making ahead, refrigerate up to 1 day.Prepare the cabbage: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a small handful of salt. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse cabbage and remove any outer leaves that are overly wilted or scarred. Use a sharp knife to cut deeply around the stem end and remove the core. Blanch the cabbage and remove the outer leaves: You will need about 15 leaves total for this recipe. First, wrap cabbage in a large square of cheesecloth and tie a hobo-style knot at the top. Lower the cloth-wrapped cabbage into the boiling water. Boil 5 minutes to soften the outer 3 or 4 layers. Remove cabbage from boiling water and carefully untie the cheesecloth. Remove the softened leaves, one by one, and lay them out on a baking sheet. Wrap cabbage in cheesecloth again, return cabbage to boiling water and boil 5 minutes more. Continue removing leaves until you have about 15, laying leaves on baking sheet as you go. Blot off any excess water. Cut a "v" shape around the hard stems and remove them. Reserve the largest, prettiest, greenest cabbage leaves for the outermost layer. Reserve leftover core of cabbage for another use.Lay a large square of cheesecloth or large thin dish towel on a cutting board. Starting with the smallest leaf, spread a small palmful of turkey pâté across the leaf, using one-sixth of the stuffing mixture. Cover with the next leaf, which should cup the first, and gently roll into a ball. Add another leaf, and then another layer of pâté. Repeat, with two leaves, one layer of filling, until it’s gone and you have made a cabbage as large as the original. Use reserved green leaves for the last layer. Gather the corners of the towel together and twist, forcing the cabbage into a sphere. Unwrap. Run a long length of kitchen string under the stuffed cabbage and tie it into quarters, then eighths. Set stuffed, trussed cabbage in a heavy, wide-bottomed roasting pan and rub with softened butter. Roast until outer layer caramelizes and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160 degrees, 80-90 minutes. A thin knife stuck into the center should come out without resistance and feel burning-hot to the lips, and the surface of the cabbage should be deeply browned. Use two spatulas to lift cabbage to a serving platter. Snip off strings. Prepare the sauce: Set roasting pan on stove top over medium heat. Add butter and shallots to pan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to dislodge browned bits, until shallots turn dark brown and crisp at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add flour, stir to combine, then add Champagne and rosemary, and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in stock and cream, and cook until smooth and lightly thickened, adding additional stock as needed to make a light, pourable gravy. Strain through a wire mesh sieve. Pour sauce into the bottom of the platter around the cabbage, and serve immediately.