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Skewers of Turkey-giblets

Skewers of turkey giblets seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley, and bacon, then breaded and grilled.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Skewers of Turkey-giblets

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the giblets

  1. Remove the gall from the turkey livers.

  2. Cut the livers into large squares.

  3. Cut the hearts in half.

  4. Add the hearts and cleaned crops to a bowl.

  5. Boil the crops in a stock pot for 45 minutes.

  6. Drain the crops and remove the hard skin.

  7. Cut the crops to the same size as the livers.

Assemble the skewers

  1. Mix the crops with the livers.

  2. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.

  3. Moisten the mixture with a little oil.

  4. Add an equal amount of thin bacon squares to the mixture.

  5. Mix the mixture well.

  6. Thread the mixture onto skewers, alternating pieces.

  7. Roll the skewers in bread-crumbs.

Grill and serve

  1. Place the skewers on a grill.

  2. Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally.

  3. Serve on a warm dish.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Turkey + breadtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together822 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  3. Turkey + peppertop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,636 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  4. Liver + turkeytop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together190 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  5. Parsley + breadtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,588 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Liver of 2-3 turkeys
Provides rich, savoury flavour and a tender, moist texture when grilled.
Heart of 2-3 turkeys
Adds dense, meaty chew that holds its shape on the skewer.
Crop of 2-3 turkeys
Contributes firm, chewy texture; boiling first softens it before grilling.
Thin squares of bacon
Renders fat during grilling, keeping the giblets moist and adding savoury flavour.
Oil
Adds moisture and helps the mixture brown lightly on the grill.
Bread-crumbs
Forms a light coating that helps the outside brown and crisp.

The step that matters

Boil the crops for 45 minutes. Crops are tough and fibrous; a full boil tenderises them so they are not chewy after grilling, and the skin must be removed once drained.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (liver, turkey, pepper, bread):

  1. Sagefits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Marjoramfits about as well
  4. Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against liver, turkey, pepper, bread. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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