Most of us at some point in our lives have been in freezing weather conditions. The cold blasts nearly take off one’s ears and nose. Hair feels frozen solid, while hands and feet are like blocks of ice and losing movement. Yet, some people like being frozen while others, not so much. On the topic of frozen, let’s move inside a second.
Last night we were watching an episode of Foods that Made America. It dealt with Thanksgiving and of course, with turkeys. In the early years, how to make a frozen turkey maintain its juices, was a feat not understood at the time. Through trial and error, it was solved. Turkey, overall, is a dry meat, especially, its white meat. The topic prompted my wife to share a cooking tip as well as a memory I’ve previously shared.
My wife shared a basic difference between how some Americans prepare their turkeys and how overall, Puerto Ricans prepare ours. “Some Americans will defrost their turkeys, season them, and refreeze them again until cooking time,” she said. “We, on the other hand, defrost them, season them, and refrigerate them until cooking time. This allows for the juices from the seasonings to spread throughout, allowing for a juicier-tasting turkey,” she said. At that moment, we both remembered our friend, Mrs. B. and laughed!
See, Mrs. B. is American living here in Puerto Rico for decades. When she came to our Thanksgiving dinner several years ago, she was delighted and thrilled at the delicious taste of my wife Viv’s turkey gravy! She couldn’t get enough of it! The meat was soft and tender and rich in taste. Before leaving, Mrs. B. took home some gravy in a plastic container, and after removing everything from her purse, she stuffed it there. “When I got home, some of the gravy had spilt in the purse!” she shared. “I wasn’t going to let that go to waste-uh, uh!” she said. “I tipped the purse over and drank that juicy gravy!” she told Viv. It was a good laugh!
While some people prefer frozen, some of us like it plenty juicy, and soft and tender. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God for all His plentiful blessings, as well as a time for stirring up great memories and making new ones!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sam