Slow-Roasted Turkey Wings

I had a hard time finding just turkey wings and found also thighs, but it was way too long to title this slow-roasted turkey wings and thighs and if I called it slow-roasted turkey, you may be expecting it to be a a whole turkey. It can sometimes be a little complicated giving a title to a recipe post. I don’t know about you, but sometimes you may be looking for an easy way to make turkey. I know so many people that would prefer to order their turkey meal already made or go out to eat on the big day. Making the whole turkey for some can be just flat out daunting and a little bit scary.

This recipe is so easy to put together, you don’t have to make it just for Thanksgiving! You could make it any time you are craving delicious turkey! Turkey wings (and thighs) are my favorite part of the turkey (yes, more than the white meat)and it costs way less than making a whole turkey. Some things to consider if you were thinking of bowing out this Thursday and not making any turkey.

As I mentioned, super simple to make and you could use all wings or like I did, wings and thighs. You may be wondering why the turkey has this lovely pink color…it’s from cranberries! Yes, I made a quick sauce using one of my favorite cranberry sauce recipes and pureed it to smear on top while it’s baking the last minutes.

I don’t know about you, but the holidays always make me a little sentimental. It doesn’t help that no matter where I go, I encounter the Adele song “Hello” and I start to tear up. I miss my dad since he was quite the Sicilian chef and such a big part of every holiday meal. He was in charge of all of the Thanksgivings until he got sick. His turkey was unbeatable! It always had a little touch of something from his garden. My mom also makes the world’s best turkey, but hers was always a little different than dad’s. Both delicious in their own way. Then there was neighbor Eric’s turkey. I truly miss my neighbors! They recently moved to Boston and this will be the first Thanksgiving in many years where we won’t be celebrating with them.

That was the gorgeous bird we had last year at their house. It was always a huge Italian Thanksgiving feast. There was always some sort of pasta at our dinners, even when I was growing up. Being at their parties reminded me of my Italian family parties as a little girl here in the States. The meal usually started with a simple broth and maybe pastina. After that, out came the antipasto dishes: different cold cuts (these days, it is usually some of my Calabrian mother-in-law’s salami, capicolla or both, some different cheeses, bread. We are snacking on all of this while the turkey is roasting away. There are side dishes already made and just heating up. After finishing up the antipasti, it is time to slice the lasagne and you better leave room for the Turkey! At this point, does it matter that there is turkey? Of course! The best part of making the turkey meal is the leftovers the next day. Some people don’t like leftovers, but I sure do! In my family, there was enough food for days after the holiday and this is even after sharing with neighbors or some of the guests. I know, Italians always make sure there is enough food at a celebration!

Did you know that there is a Harvest Festival celebrated in certain regions of Italy. It is usually during September and it a time to be grateful and thank God for a successful harvest season. ta del Ringraziamento, referring to a number of religious holidays observed throughout the year for patron saints. Even though Thanksgiving is not an Italian holiday, it certainly has become part of the lives of the Italian immigrants that settled in America (like my dad and my husband) and it is celebrated. And for those Americans that do find themselves in Italy during Thanksgiving (think Julia Roberts in one of my all-time favorite movies-Eat Pray Love) and need to shop for the big day or you just wanting to impress you friends with some Thanksgiving foodie terms on Thanksgiving Day (il giorno di ringraziamento), here you go!

tacchino ripieno del Ringraziamento= stuffed turkey
whole turkey = un tacchino intero
turkey breast = petto di tacchino
cranberries = mirtilli rossi
sweet potatoes = patate dolci
pumpkin = zucca
turkey breast = petto di tacchino
stuffing=ripieno
mashed potatoes = purè di patate

Katie Parla gives some tips on how to celebrate Thanksgiving in Rome. Catch a glimpse of a Thanksgiving menu in Italy with La Tavola Marche. Celebrating Thanksgiving in Italy by Ms Adventures in Italy is a fun read.

Looking for what to make with all your turkey leftovers? Try this turkey pot pie...it is fantastic!

A little announcement about the blog: I will be switching the blog name to Savoring Italy. It is the name of a separate blog I launched about 2 years ago. It fits more with me and who I am. It’s been a little bit of work and it’s still in progress. I will still own the cake duchess name, because I do love that name. But in the next few days, I will be changing every thing to reflect Savoring Italy. Thanks for being patient and I hope you will enjoy the blog as I add more Italian food touches to it!