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TURKISH DELIGHT
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Time was when a full roast turkey was de rigueur at the Christmas lunch. But changing tastes and shrinking families mean that the Christmas tradition in the city is deprived of a magnificent gastronomic spectacle, reports M.V. CHANDRASHEKAR
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A full roast turkey at the table is an increasingly disappearing tradition in the city. — Reuters
MENTION TURKEY and your first association is either Istanbul's travails over joining the European Union or Thanksgiving. But the eccentric-looking bird is also associated with Christmas. Time was when a full roast turkey was de rigueur at the Christmas lunch in Christian homes, especially Anglo Indian homes. Roast turkey, wine and Christmas pudding completed the festivities.
Christmas was a time of family get-togethers and the presence of family and extended family members warranted the time and labour that went into the making of the roast turkey. When the Brits in Bangalore set the standards, families emulated the fine traditions associated with Christmas. They reared the turkey chicks for a good year before preparing them for the table.
Changed profiles
Times have changed, as have family equations. Today, if one wants turkey, one goes to a restaurant and tucks into minuscule portions of this large fowl.
Still, there are a few doughty souls that soldier on, taking the trouble to buy a full bird, or if they're fortunate to have a backyard large enough, actually rear it. The chicks are available for Rs. 15 each. There are farmers who bring them to the market around Christmas time.
Old timers remember the time, even as recently as the Eighties, when one could see turkeys waddling and gobbling about the beef market at Shivajinagar. Not any more. This is thanks to the migration of several Anglo-Indian families to other cities and countries.
Expensive meat
Turkeys are expensive, coming at Rs. 175 a kilo for a dressed bird. Gulab, who manages a pet shop at the beef market, and who has been supplying turkeys to customers, says that the birds are sourced from KGF, Kolar, Salem, Coimbatore, Tirupur, and other places in South India. The birds would even come from the Hessaraghatta poultry farm. Each bird could weigh anything between three kilos and eight.
Though it used to be families which used to snap up the entire bird, today it is the hotel industry that places orders. Demand peaks during Christmas time and by the time the season is over, some 50,000 kg of the birds would have been sold in the city alone. This is remarkable, considering the peak season lasts barely a fortnight between the eve of Christmas and the New Year.
Though the Christmas tradition of having a full roast turkey isn't what it used to be, there is an entirely new section of foodies that loves the dish.
New fans
This is the IT crowd. Nerds who were once content with that Mama made at home or MTR instants have discovered the cuisines of the worlds, thanks to project assignments abroad. Sometimes they turn up to buy the meat to have a go at it, says Gulab. What is more, this newfound interest of the software crowds extends to exotic poultry such as Japanese quails, guinea fowls, and ducks, the last as in the world famous Chinese dish, the Peking duck.
Duck is another popular item during Christmas time.
There are some 10 dealers supplying turkey in Bangalore. They also despatch the birds to Mangalore, Goa, Pune and Mumbai during the Christmas season.
The romantics
In the face of changing times and family profiles, there are those who miss the excitement. Like Bonnie Brigs, for example. An Anglo-Indian, she speaks of the times when a whole turkey would be roasted, stuffed with mashed potato, bacon, butter, spices, plums and cashew, drizzled with brandy or wine, and served with mayonnaise and cranberry sauce.
Fellow Anglo-Indian Victor insists that there is no Christmas spirit without the roast turkey at home.
Let's say amen to that.
Roast turkey
Ingredients
1 medium turkey, salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1 medium onion, quartered;1 head garlic, halved, fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, rosemary, and sage; 2 bay leaves, 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Remove turkey parts from neck and breast cavities and reserve for other uses, if desired. Dry bird well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper inside the breast cavity and stuff the onion, garlic, herbs, and bay leaves inside. Set the bird on a roasting rack in a roasting pan breast side up and brush with half the butter and season with salt and pepper. Tent the bird with foil.
Roast the turkey for two hours. Remove foil and baste with the remaining butter. Increase oven temperature to 235 degrees C and continue to roast until an instant read thermometer registers 90 degrees C in the thigh of the bird, about 45 minutes more.
Set aside for 15 minutes. Carve and serve with dressing.
Sage, sausage and apple dressing
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ kg sausage, casing removed; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped; 1 or 2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped; 1/2 teaspoon salt, cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted; 2 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a casserole dish. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break them with wooden spoon. Cook until they lose most of the pink colour, but not dry, about 5 minutes. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion, apple, celery, and salt. Cook until the vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.
Pour the vegetable mixture over and toss until evenly moistened. Mix in the walnuts and eggs. Loosely pack the dressing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes. Drizzle about 2 tbsp of turkey pan drippings or melted butter over the top. Cook until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Set immediately or warm.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
Tips: Put the dressing in the oven during the last hour of cooking the turkey.
Source: The Net
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