The Piece Meal

Many people wouldn’t dream of breaking up the Thanksgiving turkey before it got to the table. Anything but a whole, golden bird just doesn’t fit that Norman Rockwell image of tradition.

But there are practical advantages to cooking turkey parts separately. Each type of meat tastes better because it can be cooked just until it’s done. The breast meat won’t dry out as you wait for the legs to cook through.

In addition, buying turkey parts enables you to serve whichever meat your family prefers. And you can purchase the quantity you need--you’ll have turkey leftovers only if you want them.

The rich-tasting dark meat of thighs and legs is wonderful braised because it becomes truly tender and creates a delicious sauce. As for turkey breasts, you can purchase them in several forms. The easiest cut to slice for serving is a boneless breast piece, which also is best braised. A whole or half turkey breast with the bone has juicier, more flavorful meat and can be either roasted or braised.

When you’re cooking turkey pieces, there is no need to stand over the bird and frequently baste it. Braised turkey pieces pretty much take care of themselves. This method is faster too. The total cooking time is much shorter than that for roasting a whole large turkey. Braising also leaves the oven free for baking other treats, like pumpkin pie. And you can braise turkey legs, thighs and breasts ahead and refrigerate the meat overnight.

At serving time you won’t have the drama of bringing the whole bird into the dining room, but you won’t have the mess of carving it either. And with braised turkey there’s no last-minute gravy to make--the turkey cooks right in the sauce.

If you want stuffing with your turkey, bake it separately. Give it good flavor by basting it a few times with the turkey braising or roasting juices or with a little turkey or chicken broth.

The French-inspired combination of mushrooms and black olives in an aromatic Madeira sauce turns turkey breast into a delicious holiday entree. You can braise the meat ahead and reheat the slices in the sauce over low heat. Good accompaniments are mashed potatoes, baked butternut squash or rice pilaf.

BRAISED TURKEY BREAST WITH MADEIRA, MUSHROOMS AND OLIVES

3 to 4 tablespoons oil or half oil and butter

1 (2-pound) piece boneless turkey breast, with skin, tied in compact shape and patted dry

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium carrot, scrubbed and coarsely chopped

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons Madeira wine

3 tablespoons cold water

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon cornstarch, potato starch or arrowroot

6 ounces mushrooms, quartered

1 cup pitted black olives, drained

Heat oil in heavy casserole or Dutch oven. Add turkey and brown lightly on all sides over medium-high heat. Remove turkey to plate. Add onion and carrot to casserole and saute until well browned.

Stir in garlic. Add 1/2 cup stock, thyme, bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to boil.

Return turkey to casserole and simmer over medium heat, turning meat once, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add remaining 1 cup stock and 2 tablespoons Madeira. Cover and simmer over low heat until turkey is tender when pierced with sharp knife, about 1 hour. Remove meat to board and keep warm.

Whisk water into tomato paste in small bowl. Add cornstarch and whisk to make smooth paste. Gradually whisk mixture into simmering sauce. Return to boil, whisking. Strain into medium saucepan, pressing all liquid out of vegetables. Discard vegetables. Add mushrooms to sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Add olives and remaining Madeira and simmer 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Slice turkey and arrange on platter. Spoon mushrooms and olives around turkey and spoon some sauce over slices. Serve remaining sauce separately. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

412 calories; 652 mg sodium; 119 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 44 grams protein; 0.80 gram fiber.

In this Mexican-inspired entree, the turkey cooks with a chile-garlic-cumin seasoning paste. It tastes even better when made ahead. Serve the turkey with winter squash or sweet potatoes, rice and beans.

TURKEY THIGHS WITH CUMIN AND TOMATOES

3 pounds turkey thighs

1 quart water

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 small dried chiles

6 large cloves garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (28-ounce) and 1 (14-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 or 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley, optional

Combine turkey, 1 quart water and salt and pepper to taste in Dutch oven or heavy casserole. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer over low heat 1 hour.

Meanwhile, soak chiles in hot water to cover 30 minutes. Drain and cut chiles into pieces, removing seeds. Chop chiles with garlic and oregano in food processor or blender. Add cumin and 2 tablespoons chopped tomato and puree until smooth.

Remove turkey from broth. Discard skin, bones, cartilage and visible fat. Cut meat into wide strips. Pour broth from casserole and set aside. Skim fat from broth.

Heat oil in casserole. Add onion and saute over medium heat 5 minutes. Add chile puree and saute 5 minutes, stirring. Add remaining tomatoes and bring to boil. Return turkey to casserole and add 1 1/2 cups reserved turkey broth. Cover and simmer over low heat until turkey is tender, 45 to 60 minutes, adding few tablespoons more broth if sauce becomes too thick. If sauce is too thin, remove meat with slotted spoon and boil sauce, stirring, until thick, then return meat to sauce.

Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve sprinkled with cilantro. Makes about 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

272 calories; 451 mg sodium; 75 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 1.69 grams fiber.

Whole fresh cranberries give a beautiful color to the red wine sauce for this turkey. Sweet potatoes or baked winter squash are perfect partners for the turkey and sauce.

ROAST TURKEY BREAST WITH FRESH CRANBERRIES

1 (3-pound) turkey breast half, with skin and bones, patted dry

3 tablespoons butter, softened, or oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed

Few drops lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch, potato starch or arrowroot

Rub turkey all over with butter and speason to taste with salt and pepper. Set on rack in small roasting pan. Roast at 400 degrees 15 minutes. Baste turkey with pan juices. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast turkey, basting every 20 minutes, until meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted in thick part of meat, not touching bone, registers 170 degrees, about 1 1/4 hours.

Combine wine, 1/2 cup water, sugar and cinnamon stick in medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring. Add cranberries. Cover and simmer over low heat until tender, 6 or 7 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick. Drain liquid from cranberries and reserve.

Transfer turkey to board and keep warm. Add cranberry liquid to roasting pan. Bring to boil, scraping in brown juices from pan. Strain into saucepan. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return sauce to simmer.

Whisk cornstarch with remaining 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Gradually whisk mixture into simmering sauce. Return to boil, whisking. Reduce heat to low. Add cranberries and reheat gently. Cut turkey into thin slices and arrange slices on platter. Garnish with few spoonfuls of whole cranberries. Serve remaining cranberries in sauce in bowl. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

562 calories; 275 mg sodium; 139 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 40 grams protein; 1.02 grams fiber.