Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Roadkill Dinner

The other day the girls were driving back from town. They had taken the “back way” along a series of country roads that wind through woods and between farms, and when they were about halfway home they saw the car in front of them strike a wild turkey. The bird was just clipped, not run over, but its neck snapped as it fell, killing it instantly.

One thing just sorta lead to another.

It was a beautiful bird. A female, probably a yearling. (my sketch above does not do it justice at all). Anna brought it home to show Angelica, who had stayed home with me, and they were thinking of using some of the wing feathers for quills. But I mean come on! How often does a whole turkey fall into your lap? So yeah ...roadkill dinner.

Dressing it was no different than a big chicken, and the meat was beautiful. Anna cooked it the same way Carla, our neighbor in Italy, would cook fagiano -the pheasants her brother would bring home from hunting. Slow cooked all day in a wine sauce and served with pureed potatoes.

It was pretty great.