Norman Van Aken
Executive Chef/Owner, Norman's
Coral Gables, FL

Norman's Tips:

I marinate our turkey in a spice-fragrant mojo (sour orange vinaigrette) for 3 or 4 days before roasting it. We get heavy-duty garbage bags and "double bag" the big bird and set it in a huge bowl. We pour the mojo over it and then tie the bags up tightly. Every day we just roll the bird around to re-distribute the marinade. On Thanksgiving morning that bird is nearly drunk!

The aroma of the mojo as it cooks into the bird creates an impact mere buttered birds could never match. Sometimes we stuff the bird with breadcrumbs and homemade Chorizo sausage stuffing, however the following recipe for stuffing "Havana" is a delicious alternative with lots of fresh herbs and nuts. The recipe for the Mojo is on our Web site: www.normans.com

In order to insure that the white and dark meat cook evenly, first roast the bird breast-side down and then turn the bird breast-side up half way through your cooking time.

Let's face it; turkey really tastes best on sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving. Bearing that in mind, I also cook a big ham, and some years I roast a dozen or so quails, (which are more succulent than turkeys when first cooked). That way we still have plenty of turkey left over for the long weekend Thanksgiving kicks off.

more turkey tips:
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