Some people throw away that little bag of "innards" found in frozen and fresh turkeys, but there's more you can do with these morsels. Look beyond their gross-out factor and add them to recipes for a new taste adventure.
Preparation
No matter what you decide to do with turkey giblets, you'll have to prepare them first. Before you stuff and cook the bird, remove the giblet bag. Take out all the pieces and separate the liver if you don't like the taste. Toss everything else in a small saucepan with some spices or an onion. Cover with water, boil and simmer.
Gravy
Now you're ready to add them to recipes, like turkey giblet gravy. Use both the chopped giblets and the broth from boiling. Most cooks recommend against using the liver in gravy since it adds a distinctive liver taste, but to each his own.
Stuffing
You can also chop up the cooked pieces and toss them into turkey stuffing. Some stuffing recipes recommend using the giblet broth in place of turkey broth or butter.
Stock
You can also strain the broth you get from boiling and store it in the refrigerator or freezer to add to soup and gravy recipes later.
Pate
You can use the turkey liver to make turkey pate, or mix it with duck or chicken liver. Again, personal preferences rule here. Some people enjoy the taste of turkey liver, while others loathe it. (Some folks feed the chopped, cooked liver to their dogs, although some smaller breeds are known to get sick on it.)
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References
Writer Bio
Connie Clark has written articles, books and ad copy since 1983. Clients and publications include "The Los Angeles Times," Warner Bros., Honda, Fleetwood and more. Her latest books are "Who in the World Was the Unready King?" and "Twelve Easy Plays for Catechists and Kids." She holds a bachelor's degree in English from Loyola Marymount University.
Photo Credits
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Ingrid