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Braised Turkey

This is a very satisfactory way of cooking an old turkey that is unfit for roasting or boiling. Prepare a stuffing as for roast turkey, stuff the body and breast, and truss. Spread thin slices of salt pork over the breast and legs, and cover the turkey with a strong sheet of buttered paper, fastening the paper on by passing a string around the body. Spread in a braising pan large enough to hold the turkey the following: one-fourth pound of salt pork, sliced; one-fourth pint of chopped celery; one-fourth pint of chopped carrot; one-fourth pint of chopped onion; one-fourth pint of chopped turnip. Lay the turkey on this mixture, with the breast up, cover the pan tightly, and place in a moderate oven. At the end of thirty minutes add one quart of water, or stock, and baste the turkey every fifteen minutes with the gravy this will make, sprinkling once with salt and pepper. Allow twentyfive minutes to the pound. During the last half-hour take the cover from the pan, remove the paper and pork from the turkey, and thus permit the meat to brown slightly. When done, lift the turkey from the pan, untruss it, and lay it on a large platter. Serve with mushroom sauce, or with the gravy strained or thickened.