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Turkey, Boiled

From Mrs. Beeton's household management (1907).

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A historical recipe

Mrs. Beeton's household management, by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton (1907).

United Kingdom

Known as a British recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards. Printed in United Kingdom: that says where the book was made, not where the dish comes from.

Ingredients 2 ingredients

  1. 2 onions
  2. 2 carrots

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Carrot High in vitamin A · Source of vitamin K · Source of potassium

    High in vitamin A · 835 µg per 100 g, 104% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin A contributes to normal iron metabolism.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin A has a role in the process of cell specialisation.

    Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, the immune system, reproduction, and growth and development. NIH fact sheet

    Source of vitamin K · 13 µg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting.
    • Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. It’s important for blood clotting and healthy bones and also has other functions in the body. NIH fact sheet

    Source of potassium · 320 mg per 100 g, 16% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Potassium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Potassium contributes to normal muscle function.
    • Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

    Potassium is a mineral found in many foods. Your body needs potassium for almost everything it does, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Carrots, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Hot oil. Never put water on an oil fire: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Pat food dry before it goes into hot oil, and lower it in gently, away from you.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Ingredients.
  2. — i turkey, sausage meat (i to 2 Ibs., according to size of turkey), forcemeat balls (see Forcemeats) ;
  3. a small head of celery, 1 pint of celery sauce (see Sauces No.
  4. 1 84), stock or water, 2 onions, 2 carrots, i small turnip, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 6 white peppercorns, salt.
  5. Method.
  6. — Prepare and truss the turkey for boiling, stuif the crop with sausage meat, wrap the bird in a well-buttered paper, and put it into a pan containing as much boiling stock or water as will cover it.
  7. When the liquor boils, add the onions, carrots, and turnip cut into large pieces, the bouquet-garni, peppercorns, and salt to taste, put on the cover and cook gently from i% to T\ hours, according to size.
  8. Meanwhile, make the forcemeat balls, and fry them in a little hot fat or butter.
  9. Cut the celery into neat pieces, and boil in well-seasoned stock or water until tender.
  10. When the turkey is sufficiently cooked, remove the trussing skewers and strings, place on a hot dish, pour the sauce over, and garnish with groups of celery, dice, and forcemeat balls.
  11. If preferred, Bechamel sauce may be substituted for the celery sauce ;
  12. in any case the quantity provided should be proportionate to the size of the bird.
  13. Boiled ham or tongue usually accompanies boiled turkey.
  14. Time.
  15. — From 2 to 2^ hours.
  16. Average Cost, 6s.
  17. to 203., according to size of turkey and season.
  18. Seasonable, from September to March.
  19. In best condition in December and January.
  20. The Disposition of the Turkey.
  21. — The turkey among its own flock is both fierce and quarrelsome, but among other birds is usually both weak and cowardly.
  22. The domestic cock will often keep a flock of turkeys at a distance and they will rarely attack him except in an united body, when the cock is crushed rather by the superior weight of his antagonists than by their prowess.
  23. The female is less ferocious in her disposition than the male, and when leading forth her young, to which she is very affectionate, to collect their food, gives them if attacked but slight protection, warning them, of their danger rather than offering to protect her threatened brood.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Frying pan
  • Saucepan
  • Grill or grill pan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
Source public domain per archive.org metadata; unverified
Credit

From Mrs. Beeton's household management (1907), printed page 720, digitised by the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/mrsbeetonshouse00beetuoft

What was changed: Read by machine from the book's scanned text into ingredients and method. The title's capitals were tidied; spelling and scanning errors are left as they are.