Gobble II, Part 2

Note - I tried uploading pictures in the blog, but Blogger.com is having technical issues now. Pics are at the bottom in a slideshow. Be sure to click on the slideshow to see captions. Click on it again to see larger pictures.

Okay, it’s Thanksgiving, and it’s the big cooking day of the year for people all around the country. I have company, so it’s all eyes on me. Since it’s a gorgeous 70 degree day in Washington, D.C., I decided to grill eggplant and fry the turkey outside. Gotta love doing this stuff in shorts and sandals in a November.

Grilled Eggplant with Ham & Cheese

I got this recipe from my cousin in Miami. He has been through so many hurricanes that knock out the power for weeks at a time, resulting in him being a master griller. He grilled up some eggplant/ham/cheese things a couple months ago, so I tried my attempt. I call it a success. Here’s what you need:

Eggplant
Sliced ham
Mozzarella cheese (skim or whole, whatever you like – I did skim shredded or whole – I had shredded this time, but I liked slicing it better)
Olive oil
Salt (I used Kosher)
Black pepper (I used fresh ground)

Preheat the grill. I used medium-low.

Slice the eggplant so that you have round pieces. The thickness should be between 1/8 inch to ¼ inch. Lay them out, drizzle olive oil and dust with salt and pepper. Do this to both sides. Slice ham and mozzarella cheese (if not shredded) the same size as eggplant slices.

Once the heat is going, lay out the eggplant on the grill leaving room to flip these little guys and not letting them slide through the grating. I cooked them approximately 4 minutes on one side with the cover closed, enough for the decorative lines to burn in. Turn over, and let it grill for 2 minutes with the cover closed. Place pieces of ham on each piece of eggplant, and then add cheese. Close the cover to let it cook some more and for the cheese to melt. Transfer finished product to plate, and enjoy!

Now then, the turkey…

First - BE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH OIL THE DAY BEFORE!!!

I give you this warning, so you don’t run into my situation this year where you’re driving from place to place to find almost every place is either closed or all out. I was lucky to find a store that had a 3 gallon container, but it was pricey. Normally I can get about 5 gallons for $21, but this was 3 for $25. I didn’t want to spend $50 on oil that I would use once, so I bought the 3 gallon container and hoped that it would work for me.

Let the turkey sit at room temperature for an hour. This is not necessary, but it’ll help cooking so the turkey is not as cold when it goes into the fryer. While the turkey is warming up to room temperature, begin heating the oil. The oil should be between 350 – 370. Note – if you overheat the oil, bring it back down. The oil needs to be a steady 350 – 370. Last year I had the oil at 400 degrees, and I figured the cold turkey would bring down the temperature. It did, but it still resulted in the skin much darker than I wanted, even burnt in some areas, while the inside was partially uncooked.

When the oil has a steady temperature, lower the bird into the pot. SLOWLY. As soon as something comes into contact with the oil, lots of sizzling, bubbling, boiling, noise, splattering, and more happens. It’s best to use gloves while doing this. I even put on some pants in case hot oil splatters onto my legs, but none did.

Once the turkey is fully resting in the oil, kick back, and enjoy the smell that fills the air. Your neighbors may come out and talk to you at that moment, so have some beverages handy in case. I kicked back and typed out this blog, surfed the web, and enjoyed the weather. About every 10 minutes, pick up the turkey a little, and change the movement, just in case the heat is concentrating on one part of the bird. Calculate 3 ½ minutes per pound. I had 11 pounds, so I let it bathe in the oil for about 39 minutes.

When 39 minutes came around, I shut off the flame, and I pulled the turkey out, slowly, to discover a beautifully cooked bird. As you take the turkey off the stand, you hear the crispy skin break off. When you grab a hold of the turkey, the feeling of the crackling outer layer in hands make you want to sink your teeth into it at that moment. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool down a bit. It’ll be hard, because as soon as people see it, they immediately begin cracking off pieces of the skin and munching on them like potato chips. And when you cut it, be sure it’s in a tray to catch the juices.

If you like this as much as me, even carving the turkey is enjoyable as you hear the knife pierce through the new coat of armor it’s wearing. As you serve the meat to your guests, you like to watch them smile, almost licking their lips. When those bite into a deep-fried turkey for the first time, and they comment on how much better, and juicier it is than the typical baked, dry turkey like what happened to me, you can sit back and think “mission accomplished.”

Now what the heck are you going to do with several galloons of turkey flavored peanut oil??? =]