Pavo a La Dominicana
Ydanis Rodriguez, District 10:
Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill
Living in Washington Heights, it’s hard not to be proud of our Dominican heritage. But Thanksgiving is an opportunity to really celebrate Cultura Dominicana. We do this by taking a little American tradition and adding a lot of Latino zeal. Together we get Pavo a La Dominicana: Turkey stuffed with pigeon peas and rice. I can’t get enough of the perfectly cooked rice stuffing but if you’re a turkey person, you won’t be disappointed with this deliciously cooked, juicy bird. If you’re like us, you’ll make extra and eat it through the weekend.
Ingredients for Turkey Seasoning
1 small red onion, chopped
6 clove garlic
1/4 cup capers
3 tablespoons salt
1 small bunch of parsley
Juice of a lime
1/4 cubanelle pepper, chopped
1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper
Ingredients for Turkey
One 9 lb unbrined turkey, thawed
1 tablespoon of browning
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, divided
Ingredients for Rice and Pigeon Pea Stuffing
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon mashed garlic
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped
1 pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups boiled pigeon peas
2 cups rice
Directions
Prepare the turkey seasoning: Mix the ingredients for the seasoning and blend in the food processor to obtain a coarse paste.
Prepare the turkey: Slowly work your hand between the skin and the turkey meat, making sure not to pierce through the skin, separating as much as possible all the way down to the legs and neck (we're not skinning the turkey, just making space to rub seasoning under the skin).
Season the turkey and marinate overnight: With a sharp knife, carve four small holes into each side of the breast meat (don't pierce the skin!) and stuff them with the seasoning. Rub the rest of the seasoning under the turkey skin and inside the cavity. Place the turkey in a lidded container and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Saute the seasoning for the stuffing: Heat the oil in a 1/2 gallon iron pot over medium heat, and add the cilantro, garlic, peppers, oregano, and salt and cook and stir for a minute. Add the peas and continue to stir. Once well heated, add 1 1/4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Cook the rice: Stir the rice into the stuffing seasoning and simmer over medium heat, stirring regularly and ensuring that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. When all the water has evaporated set aside half of the rice (still not fully cooked!) to stuff the turkey, and cover the pot with the remaining rice with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat.
Finish cooking the rice: Simmer for 20 minutes. Move the rice from the bottom to the top so it cooks uniformly. Cover again and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Uncover and taste for doneness: The rice should be firm but tender inside. If necessary, cover and simmer another 5 minutes over very low heat. Spoon into a serving bowl and keep covered until it's time to serve.
Heat the oven at 325º F.
Prepare the turkey for roasting: Remove the turkey from the fridge. Spread 3/4 of the butter under the skin. Stuff the holes you carved with some butter, set aside the rest. Mix browning and 2 tablespoons of water. Paint all over the skin with the browning. Stuff the turkey with the partially-cooked rice.
Tie the turkey with twine: Place the turkey on a baking tray with a wire rack. Pull the skin to cover the turkey all over. Tie the legs with twine. Tie the wings tight against the skin by wrapping twine around the turkey. Then brush all over with butter, save the remaining butter for use later.
Roast the turkey: Roast the turkey for 2 1/2 hours, brushing all the exposed skin with butter every half hour. Once the 2 1/2 hours have passed, test the turkey breast with a meat thermometer. It should have reached 165° F when you hit the bone. You should also test inside the leg where it hits the ribs. If it hasn't reached that temperature, cook for another 20 minutes, and test again. If you don't have a meat thermometer, stab inside the thigh all the way to the bone, it is done if the juices run clear, and there's no sign of blood or pink meat. Cook for another 20 minutes, if necessary, and test again.
Complete the dish: Once done, remove turkey from the oven and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. Serve alongside the rice. When it's time to eat, mix the rice stuffing with the rest of the rice.