From Kyle Phillips,
Your Guide to Italian Food.
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Jump to: Intro | Bird Selection and Prep | Recipes

Greece

• Turkey Stuffed with Rice and; Nuts, or Galopoula Yemisti
  Stuffed turkey (or capon) is always appropriate for festive occasions, and this Greek recipe pulls together the classic elements of rice, pine nuts, chestnuts, and lamb for the stuffing. Nancy Gaifyllia, About's Guide to Greek cooking, says it's "a great choice for a Greek (or non-Greek) Christmas or New Year's meal."
• Roasted Stuffed Chicken, or Kotopoulou Yemisto
  Chicken, stuffed with a cheese, green pepper, and herb mixture is roasted with potatoes for a fabulous one-dish meal.

Home Cooking
I stand in awe of Peggy's site. In addition to the concise instructions on boning a bird, she has a considerable collection of stuffed turkey recipes. These caught my eye:

• Bread Stuffing
  Classic, simple, and very easy to vary or build upon. My mother used to add orange juice instead of broth, for example, and I like to add chopped walnuts and grilled crumbled sausage.
• Cherry Cornbread Stuffing
  Rich and very tasty.
• Nutty Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffing
  Rice is a wonderful ingredient in stuffings, and gains considerably from both sausages and walnuts.

And then there is Turducken:
This is a culinary tour de force, or perhaps a throwback to the middle ages: A turkey stuffed with a duck (and stuffing) stuffed with a chicken (and stuffing). It takes a while to do, Peggy says, but isn't difficult, and to judge from the illustrated recipe I'd agree. Most impressive!



India

"Among the most famous Indian foods, Tandoori Chicken is loved by people the world over," says Indian Cooking Guide Petrina Verma Sarkar. "The nicest thing about this dish though, is that it's really easy to make!"

Italy

• Stuffed Roast Chicken, or Polastro Imbottio Rosto
  The classic Sunday Dinner Chicken in the Vicentino, north of Venice.
• Boned Stuffed Chicken, or Pollo Disossato Farcito
  A spectacular Neapolitan stuffed chicken well suited to Christmas Dinner or any other happy winter occasion.
• Duck Stuffed with Radicchio di Treviso, or Anatra Farcita al Radicchio di Treviso
  Treviso's red radicchio has a delightful sharpness that beautifully balances the richness of duck, though chicken will also work well here.
• Stuffed Turkey Hen, or Tacchinella Ripiena
  This fruit-filled bird is the traditional centerpiece of the Christmas dinner in Lombardia, but will also work nicely for Thanksgiving.
• Turkey Stuffed with Fruit, or Tachinella Ripeina con La Frutta
  Most Italian stuffed bird recipes call for a boned bird. This one doesn't, and the filling, mostly apples and prunes, goes beautifully with the pancetta that adds savor to the breast meat.

Japan

Roast Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
"Roast teriyaki chicken thighs are a popular Christmas dinner menu in Japan," says Japanese cooking Guide Setsuko Yoshizuka.

Kosher Food

• Kosher Roast Stuffed Turkey (Meat)
  "This Roast Stuffed Turkey is the quintessential Thanksgiving entree, but it is also the perfect dish to serve when entertaining a large group of people," says Giora Shimoni, adding, "These carefully written instructions take the novice turkey-roaster from thawing to carving."
• Susie Fishbein's Roast Turkey with Caramelized Onion-Balsamic Gravy (Meat)
  "I can't hide my enthusiasm for what Fishbein has done for kosher cooking," Giora says, noting that she has simultaneously raised its quality and made it more accessible to novice cooks.

Low Carb Diets

• Jim Dolson's Turkey Rub
  Low Carb Diets Guide Laura Dolson's father-in-law developed this recipe for a turkey rub long ago, and she says: "My husband grew up having turkey made with this rub, and now I get to have it every Thanksgiving!"
• Low Carb Stuffing
  "One of the tricks to making low carb turkey stuffing is to use a lot of vegetables," she says, and does, with excellent results.
• Green Bean Casserole with Onion Topping
  Not quite a bird, but it is a classic Thanksgiving side dish in a healthy key.

Lowfat Cooking

Thanksgiving Turkey
"Eating a low fat diet should not deprive you of enjoying a Thanksgiving turkey. The breast meat is naturally low in fat, and the darker meat can be enjoyed, too," says Lowfat Guide Fiona Haynes, adding, "to reduce your fat intake, be sure to remove the skin before eating the meat."

The Middle East

Middle Eastern Lemon Chicken
"What makes this recipe Middle Eastern is the spices used. Not to be confused with lemon pepper chicken, this recipe for lemon is savory and just so good," says Saad Fayed, adding, "the spices used make it more of a Moroccan dish."

Thailand

Roasted Lemongrass Chicken with Sweet Lime Sauce
"This recipe for roasted chicken with a lemongrass marinade is fragrant and moist," says Thai Cooking Guide Darlene Schmidt, adding, "it is delicious as is, or serve it together with my sweet lime sauce for a low-fat and delectable Thai treat your family and friends (including the kids!) will love."

The Southern United States
Diana's site is another I stand in awe of: One can easily get lost in it. Turkey being an American tradition, it's no surprise that she should have several recipes, and here are some of her personal favorites:

• Roast Turkey With Giblet Gravy
• Roast Turkey With Oyster Dressing
• Basic Bread Stuffing
• Cornbread Dressing With Eggs

Vegetarian Cooking

Yes, there are vegetarian (vegan, even) workarounds for those who won't or can't eat a Turkey. Jolinda Hackett has several tofurky (vegetarian mock turkey) recipes, suggests many other non-meat holiday dishes, and also has tips both for hosts expecting vegetarian guests, and for vegetarians going to a non-vegetarian home.

Winding down, looking for something to serve with your stuffed bird?
You'll find thousands of recipes on the food channel, but I especially recommend my late Godfather Jack Seely's Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Ginger. He sent the recipe, saying, "I've been annoyed that it is hard to find candied orange or lemon zest in local stores, except at Christmas for fruitcakes. Recently I had a hard time finding crystallized ginger. But since I have a supply, I used it yesterday in my baked sweet potato with lime recipe. It was the hit of Thanksgiving dinner!"


Well, that's it, for now. Enjoy the Holidays!