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1
Place fennel seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat.
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2
Toast, shaking the pan often, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
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3
Remove from heat and let cool slightly in the pan.
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4
Transfer to a spice grinder, add peppercorns, and grind into a powder.
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5
Transfer to a medium bowl.
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6
Add salt, rosemary, garlic, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.
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7
Add olive oil and stir to make a paste; set aside.
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8
Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity; reserve the neck and discard the giblets.
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9
Remove and discard any wire or plastic holding the legs together.
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10
Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water.
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11
Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
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12
Remove the wishbone: Place the turkey breast-side up on a clean surface with the neck facing you.
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13
Lift up the skin at the neck and, using your fingers, locate the wishbone (shaped like an upside-down V) within the muscle between the two breast halves.
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14
Using a very sharp paring or boning knife, cut along the wishbone to loosen it.
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15
Tug to dislodge and remove it from the breast; discard.
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16
Remove the skin (the goal is to remove the skin in one large piece to use as the turchetta wrapper): Turn the turkey breast-side down with the neck facing you.
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17
Using a sharp boning knife, cut through the skin along the backbone from neck to tail.
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18
Lift and pull the skin, cutting it away from the flesh on both sides of the bird.
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19
(Dont worry if it rips slightly.)
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20
Stop when you reach the wings, leaving the skin on them.
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21
Move on to the legs: Pull and cut the skin off and away from the thigh bones, and then pull it down over the drumsticks.
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22
Cut the skin around the ankles to release it.
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23
Turn the turkey breast-side up again with the neck facing you.
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24
Pull and cut the skin away from the breast on both sides until nearly all of the skin is removed.
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25
Turn the turkey breast-side down again with the neck facing you.
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26
Cut the wings at the joint between the flat and the drumette.
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27
Remove the flats and wing tips; set them aside with the reserved neck.
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28
Pull and cut the skin away from the wing shoulders and drumettes, releasing the skin entirely from the bird; set the skin aside.
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29
Remove the wing shoulders and drumettes completely by cutting around the shoulder joints to release them.
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30
Place all the wing pieces, the reserved neck, and the skin in a sealed container and refrigerate.
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31
Remove the meat from the turkey: Remove the legs by first cutting around the small round circles of dark meat (called oysters) on either side of the backbone, keeping the dark meat attached to the legs.
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32
Pop the legs out until the hip joints are exposed, then cut around the joints and through the meat at the hips to remove the legs.
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33
Turn the turkey breast-side up with the neck facing you.
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34
Remove the breasts and tenderloins by slicing neck-to-tail along the breastbone and pulling and cutting the meat away from both sides of the rib cage.
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35
Separate the tenderloins from the breasts and set both aside.
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36
Remove any remaining meat from the back and sides of the carcass and set it aside.
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37
Discard the carcass, or if you choose, reserve it for making .
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38
Trim the removed meat: Remove the large tendon running the length of the tenderloins by holding one end of the tendon with a paper towel and scraping the meat away from it with a sharp knife.
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39
Remove the meat from the legs, making sure to also remove the thin, delicate bones; set the meat aside and discard the bones.
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40
Remove any silver skin, bones, sinew, and fat from the leg, breast, back, and side meat.
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41
Cut each breast in half crosswise.
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42
Cut the two thicker breast pieces in half horizontally to make 2 thinner pieces.
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43
Weigh the turkey meat and transfer it to a large bowl.
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44
For every pound of meat, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved fennel-rosemary rub.
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45
For example, for 8 pounds of meat, use the entire rub, 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup.
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46
(If you dont own a scale, a 12-pound turkey will need about 5 tablespoons of the rub, a 15-pound turkey about 6 1/2 tablespoons, and an 18-pound turkey about 8 tablespoons.)
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47
Rub the spice paste thoroughly into the meat until evenly coated.
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48
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
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49
The next day, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
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50
Roll the turchetta: Remove the turkey parts, skin, and meat from the refrigerator.
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51
Have your cheesecloth and butchers twine ready, as well as small, separate bowls of salt, pepper, stuffing, and olive oil.
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52
Lay the reserved turkey skin, outer skin facing down, on a work surface.
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53
(Set the neck and wing pieces aside.)
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54
Trim the excess fat from the skin and discard.
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55
Season the skin generously all over with salt and pepper.
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56
Place the meat pieces in a single even layer over the skin, alternating between white and dark meats, so that the skin is entirely covered.
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57
Spread the stuffing evenly over the meat, pressing down gently so it adheres.
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58
Starting at one of the short ends, tightly roll the turkey up into a large tube.
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59
Rub the turkey roll with oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
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60
Place the roll on the cheesecloth, seam side down, and wrap the cheesecloth tightly around it.
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61
Tightly gather the excess cheesecloth at one end of the roll and tie it with twine to close.
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62
Continue to tie the twine crosswise down the length of the roll at about 1-1/2-inch intervals, cutting it as needed.
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63
Finish by tightly gathering the excess cheesecloth at the other end and tying it closed.
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64
Place the celery, onion, and reserved turkey neck and wing pieces in a large roasting pan.
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65
Drizzle generously with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat.
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66
Add the wine, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns.
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67
Place a roasting rack in the roasting pan and over the onion mixture, then place the turchetta, seam side down, on the rack.
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68
Roast until lightly browned, about 40 minutes, using two tongs to flip the turchetta halfway through the cooking time.
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69
Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and continue to roast, flipping and basting the turchetta with pan juices every 30 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into several locations, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.
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70
(If the pan juices start to dry up, add a little water to keep the pan from burning.)
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71
Transfer the roasting rack with the turchetta, along with all the wing pieces, to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool for at least 30 minutes.
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72
Place the roasting pan across two burners over medium-high heat.
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73
When the pan juices boil, add the vermouth and scrape the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.
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74
Cook until the alcohol evaporates, about 1 minute.
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75
Remove the pan from heat and discard the turkey neck.
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76
Strain the pan juices through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium heatproof bowl or measuring cup, pressing on the solids.
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77
Discard the solids.
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78
Using a spoon, skim away as much fat from the surface as possible; discard the fat.
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79
The amount of pan juices collected will vary.
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80
If you have less than 1 1/2 cups, add enough chicken broth to bring it up to 1 1/2 cups total; set the pan juices aside.
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81
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
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82
Whisk in the flour and let it bubble, whisking constantly, until its the color of peanut butter, about 5 minutes.
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83
Slowly whisk in the pan juicebroth mixture until smooth (be careful, it may bubble up).
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84
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
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85
Remove from heat, taste, and season as needed with salt and pepper.
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86
Transfer the turchetta to a cutting board.
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87
Cut off the twine with a knife or kitchen shears and discard.
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88
Slowly peel away the cheesecloth, being careful not to tear the skin.
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89
Carve into 3/4-inch rounds, transfer to a serving dish, and serve with the reserved wing pieces and gravy.
