Roasting the Bird: Around About and Around the World

Jump to: Intro | Bird Selection and Prep | Recipes | And Yet More Recipes

Holland

Guinea Fowl with Tarragon-Dill Butter (Parelhoen met Dragon-Dille Boter)
"Guinea fowl is called parelhoen in Dutch," Karin says, and then explains: "which loosely translates as pearl hen, a reference to the bird's gorgeous gunmetal grey feathers with pearly strands of white dots. This African bird makes an excellent special occasion alternative to chicken, because it is just as easy to prepare, but has more of a wow-factor (perhaps because it's not as common). In fact, Guinea fowl tastes ever-so-slightly wilder than chicken, but is milder than pheasant. It's also a smaller bird than turkey or chicken - perfect when entertaining four or fewer people. While delicious plain, carefully stuffing herbed butter under the skin ensures that the meat is full of garden-fresh flavors."

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.
• 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!"

Stuffed Roast Chicken Indian Style: This Anglo-Indian dish combines a western concept with Indian ingredients. "Yummy in your tummy!" says Petrina's son.

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."