Gigi's Free-Range Tuscan Turkey

Granted, one has to adapt to find all the right ingredients to pull this off as we do back home, but it can be done in great style with some alterations. Here in our little city, you do not see tons of Thanksgiving decorations on display in shop windows, which to me is a good thing. I had the benefit of asking my sister, who flew in from the States, to bring me a few ingredients that I’d have to run into Florence to buy. It’s generally a no-no, as I prefer fresh, but she did manage to find space for a few cans of cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray brand). Another friend of mine, also American, whipped up some scrumptious desserts. Since we were having 30-plus guests, we decided to make two birds plus all the traditional fixings. There were so many appetizers that one bird was enjoyed by us later on. As is done in my family and in homage to our Sicilian heritage, we also made anellini al forno (baked ring-shaped pasta). This is one of my favorite hearty Sicilian pasta dishes, served especially during the holidays, which I highly recommend esp. for larger parties as it’s a meal in itself. Two recipes to sample: one without eggplant and one with. But let’s talk turkey for a moment.

Since I moved to Tuscany, we’ve been going to the same family-run butcher shop, about a three-minute walk from our home just outside the old city. Although the whole family works there, including the owners and their two adult sons, generally I get served by Gigi, who’s a man of few words but is ultra-polite and always curious my cooking. Actually, I had the pleasure of sharing my chestnut stuffing recipe with him some years back and he actually made it, which was a great compliment. Funny, as most Italians don’t think Americans know how to cook much less east good food! Au contraire mes amis. I have gotten my turkeys here over a number of years and they have absolutely been the best turkeys I’ve made–or tasted. First, I have to let Gigi know several days ahead when I needed the turkey because it is essentially fresh (having been butchered) when I pop in to pick it up.

The one I bought this year was a medium-sized turkey–there were still some smaller feathers we had to burn off which is nothing to turn your nose up at; normal and natural. As on previous occasions, the meat was absolutely tender, flavorful, and juicy. The taste of foods, I shall remind, does not come from quantity or size but quality. In any case, feeding a houseful of Italians was pulled off smoothly and guests appreciated all those delectable side dishes including two kinds of homemade stuffing (one without raisins to appeal to my raisin-adverse spouse), fluffy, butter-whipped mashed potatoes and gravy made from the the turkey’s liquids. Many bottles of Chianti and other local wines were consumed; merriment was ample. For anyone renting a property with a kitchen in Valdarno over the holidays, trot down to the Moretti in Montarchi to procure a free-range turkey. Incidentally, turkey in Italian is tacchino, somewhat alliterative thus easier to remember and say.