LADYFIRE STAR CHEF SERIES
Roast Turkey with Maple 
Corn Sauce  
By Lawrence Forgione 

Larry Forgione, hailed as the godfather of American cooking, is a man with one passion: to reintroduce the essential American flavors lost to us in the rush for newer, quicker, and better.
Read Larry's Bio

Serves 8 to 10

I first cooked this recipe for Craig Claiborne about ten years ago at his Long Island house. Roasting turkey on first one side and then the other keeps it moist.

Ingredients:

One 12- to 13-pound fresh turkey, neck reserved
1 onion, cut into quarters, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups Chicken Stock (page 33) or canned broth
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 3 to 4 ears) or frozen or drained canned corn
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup heavy cream
Country Corn Samp (recipe follows see below)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cut the wing tips off the turkey and set aside. Cut the neck into 4 pieces and set aside.
   
2. Put the quartered onion, the garlic, and carrots in the turkey cavity and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper and rub all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
    
3. Brush the bottom of a large roasting pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Put the turkey on its side in the pan and distribute the neck and wing pieces around it. Roast for 40 minutes. Turn the turkey onto its other side and roast for 40 minutes longer, basting frequently.
    
4. Remove the turkey from the pan. Pour off 1 tablespoon of fat and reserve; pour off and discard the remaining fat. 
    
5. Return the turkey to the pan, breast side up. Add 2 cups of the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Return the pan to the oven. Roast for about 1 3/4 hours, basting the turkey occasionally with the pan juices, until the juice runs clear when the thigh is pierced or a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 180° to 185°F. Transfer the turkey to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
    
6. Pour the contents of the roasting pan into a saucepan. Using a spoon, remove the vegetables from the turkey cavity and add them to the saucepan. Add the remaining 1 cup stock and bring to a boil, skimming any fat from the surface. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced to about 1 cup. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and set aside.
    
7. Heat the reserved 1 tablespoon turkey fat in a skillet over medium, high heat. Add the chopped onion and the corn and cook, stirring until the onion is softened. Add the bourbon, maple syrup, and vinegar, and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, or until reduced, by half. Add the strained broth, bring to a boil, and cook for about 3 minutes.
    
8. Stir the cornstarch into the cream until smooth and add to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Carve the turkey and serve.

Country Corn Samp

For years, I'd read about samp in old cookbooks. I first came across it at a farm stand on Long Island and although I could figure out how to cook it, I was not sure exactly what it was. The farmer's description sounded like dried whole hominy but when I described dried whole hominy, he talked about samp – it took us a few minutes to figure out we were discussing the same thing!

Hominy, or samp, is made from fresh corn that is soaked so that the sugar converts to starch. The starch expands and pops off the yellow outer husk, leaving behind little cushions of pure starch. When dried, these are hominy. If you grind hominy, it becomes grits. If you grind it further, it becomes corn flour.

 Canned cooked whole hominy is sold in specialty stores, particularly in the South. Its texture is creamy and it's easy to use. Simply drain and rinse it before further cooking. It works fine here; eliminate the soaking step. Jim Beard loved the soft, dumpling-like quality of canned whole hominy.

1/2 pound (about 11/4 cups) corn samp (dried hominy)

1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 4 pieces    

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic               

2 Anaheim peppers           

1 onion, peeled            

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons lightly salted butter

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro (fresh coriander)

Pick through the samp and discard any yellow pieces. Soak the samp overnight in cold water to cover by 1 inch.

Drain the samp, put it in a large pot and add 10 cups cold water. Add the sausage, garlic, Anaheim peppers, and onion and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, until the samp is tender. Drain in a colander, remove the sausage, peppers, and onion and let cool slightly.

Cut the sausage into 1/4-inch dice. Seed and chop the peppers. Finely chop the onion.

Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, Anaheim peppers, sausage, and onion and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the drained samp and cook, stirring for 1 minute longer or until the samp is heated through. Add the parsley or cilantro and season with salt and pepper.