Reliving Thanksgiving...summer style

I don't know about all of you, but Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. This due in part because of the wonderfully delicious food. I think we sometimes forget that we can roast a turkey anytime and that it is not just for that wonderful holiday. I roasted a turkey this afternoon and paired it with some mashed garlic cauliflower (in place of mashed potatoes) and a green salad. It is a great thing that you can put in the oven and leave for a couple of hours. It is very simple and a way to relive that holiday meal.


Roast Turkey
1 fresh turkey (about 10 to 12 pounds)
1 stick of butter
1 lemon, zested 
1 tsp each of fresh herbs such as  rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage
salt and pepper
1 small apple, quartered
1 small onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
a handful of fresh herbs such as  rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees


Melt the butter (you still want it to have some consistency so don't melt it all the way). Add the zest of the lemon and the juice of one half of the lemon as well as the teaspoons of various fresh herbs. Stir together and set aside


Remove  the giblets and any other unnecessary items out of the turkey and make sure you rinse out the cavity and the rest of the turkey. Make sure you pat the outside dry, as it will help to create a nice crust. 


Take half of the butter and herb mixture and work underneath the skin. You will have to separate the skin from the meat, but do it gently as you do not want to rip the skin. It may take a little to do it. You want to make sure that you spread this butter mixture all over the body, on all sides and not to forget the legs! 


Salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity and then stuff with the fresh herbs, half a lemon, apple, onion and garlic. Make sure that they are stuffed well inside, to make sure that they do not come out during the cooking process.


Take the rest of the butter mixture and rub on the outside skin of the turkey. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the turkey. This will help brown the skin. Trust me when this melts and blends with the juices of the turkey it will make a great broth! Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wings underneath the turkey body. 


Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut in between the leg and the thing. Halfway through the cooking process pull the turkey out of the oven and baste the turkey with the juices in the bottom of the pan. This will help keep the turkey moist as it cooks. When it is done pull the turkey out of the oven and cover with aluminum foil and let sit for about 20 minutes. This gives time for all of the juices to soak into the meat and make it juicy and wonderful.


Mashed Cauliflower
My family loves mashed potatoes but the mashed cauliflower is a nice substitute and honestly you really can't tell the difference between them. 

1 medium head of cauliflower

1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated parmesan

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

salt and pepper

Put on a pot of water to boil and in the meantime wash and cut the cauliflower into small pieces. Cook this cauliflower until it is tender. Take out of the pan and pat dry between two towels. 

Place the cauliflower and the rest of the ingredients into a mixer and blend together until it is smooth. Adjust with salt and pepper to adjust the taste to your own preference. 

Pair this with the turkey and a green salad and you have a wonderful dinner!

More recipes to follow to make with your leftover turkey!

 Buon Appetito!