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22 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Fall 2023 Simplify your feast by slow cooking your Thanksgiving Turkey Food features prominently in many holiday cel- ebrations, but perhaps no holiday is more closely associated with eating than Thanksgiv- ing. In fact, Thanksgiving and food are so closely connected that many people lovingly refer to the holiday as "Turkey Day," which is an homage to the popular main course that finds its way to mil- lions of Thanksgiving dinner tables across the country each year. Side dishes abound on Thanksgiving dinner ta- bles, but turkey still takes center stage. That re- ality can put some pressure on hosts tasked with preparing the meal for their family and friends. Unlike some other dishes that require a laundry list of ingredients and lots of prep work, turkey is a relatively hands-off main course. However, home cooks know a dried out turkey is not on anyone's holiday wish list. Slow cooking can help to avoid such a result. This recipe for "Hol- iday Turkey," courtesy Andrew Schloss' "Cook- ing Slow" (Chronicle Books), calls for slow cooking the bird. Such an approach should re- sult in a delicious and mouth-watering main course that satisfies anyone who's anxious to sit down at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year. Holiday Turkey Makes 15 servings 1 fresh turkey, about 15 pounds, preferably free- range 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 quart apple cider 2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pep- per Remove the giblets from the turkey and discard (or save for another use). Rinse the turkey in- side and out and pat dry with paper towels. Rub it all over with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, un- covered, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. During that time, the surface of the turkey will become visibly dry and the skin will tighten; this encourages a nice crisp skin on the finished bird. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to start roasting. Preheat the oven to 450 F.