Dhahran Women's Group, Family Favorites - Volume 1, 1987

Mary Louise was Jacqueline Kennedy's private chef and later published her own cookbook. This recipe will make the juiciest and most flavorful turkey that you have ever cooked.

1 turkey
2 tablespoons dry mustard
8 shakes Worcestershire Sauce
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 cap full vinegar
1 onion, cut in half
Celery
Parsley
2 pieces bacon
Butter
2 cup chicken stock

If you buy a frozen turkey, be sure that the turkey is well thawed.

A few hours before you propose to cook it, the day before if possible, rub the turkey well inside and out with a paste which you make up of dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper and a little vinegar in the proportion to make it into a soft paste. (You may have to double the paste recipe depending on the size of your bird.) Rub the bird well inside and out with this, then place inside the bird a whole onion cut in half, a couple of pieces of celery and a little parsley.

Lay two pieces of bacon across the breast of the turkey and place hunks of butter in the little crevice between the drumsticks and the body of the turkey.

Soak a dishtowel or cheesecloth in olive oil and one to two cups of stock in the roaster. Cover the turkey with the cloth.

Preheat oven to 300o.

In cooking the turkey, you cook it according to the following scale:

  7 to 10 pounds - 30 minutes per pound
10 to 15 pounds - 20 minutes per pound
15 to 18 pounds - 18 minutes per pound
18 to 20 pounds - 15 minutes per pound
20 to 25 pounds - 13 minutes per pound

You may baste the turkey only once or twice during the course of baking. This browns the turkey beautifully and makes it completely tender when you eat it.

Delicious and guaranteed not to fail!

Turkey giblets
4 to 5 cups water
2 ribs celery
1 tablespoon flour
1 onion chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil or butter
Chopped parsley
Bay leaf
2 cups giblet stock

While the turkey is cooking, take the neck and giblets and cook them all in about 4 to 5 cups of water with celery, onion, salt and pepper and let them cook until they are thoroughly done.

In the meantime, take a tablespoon of grease or butter and one tablespoon of flour and make a roux by browning the flour. Add one chopped onion, one piece of chopped celery, some chopped parsley, a bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Sauté this until soft and add the stock to this roux. Let it summer down to make the gravy for the turkey.

This can be increased to make as much gravy as you desire. Chop the giblets and add to the gravy.

Leslie Edward, Dhahran