Cooking with Music

If I may say so myself the best xmas turkey and stuffing is the one I made over xmas. A combination between a Jamie Oliver recipe and a random other recipe I found all of that ofcourse with a little twist of my own) I have been too busy eating and digesting it to put it on straight away but I was sure to take many pics so you could drool over it from your computer

Needed (As in this is what I made it with):

*Eeeehm a turkey? ( let it defrost in the fridge for a day or two)
* Soft butter about 2 cups ( eg. bona from the AH)
*dried sage(if you have fresh ones then you are on the right track - I couldnt find any))
*about 10 cloves of garlic ( Cant guarentee mistletoe action afterwards though)
*packet of bacon rashers (about 8 to 10 strips are fine)
* minced meat ( I prefer beef, pork is also ok) big pack
*Bay leaves (laurierblad)
*Breadcrumbs (toast 2 white or brown bread slices till crispy and crumble in small pieces)
*1 egg
*nutmeg
* 2/3 twigs of celery
*rosemary sprigs
*dried apricots
* 1 madam jeanette pepper
* an orange and a lemon
* Heinz kethcup

.....ooh yeah and 3 red chopped onions

STEP 1

Take the turkey out of the fridge and let it rest for about an hour. I used this time to contemplate which baking tray I was going to make it in and to remind myself what the hell I was getting into.
Afterwards wash the turkey especially the inside cavity. they never clean as that well at the shop so fill the cavity with water, put your hands in and clean. the cavity is clean when you fill it with water shake it a little and clear water comes out. Then place it in the baking tray.

Pat the turkey dry with some absorbent kitchen paper.
Keep the elastic string that usually ties the legs together on during the whole process.

STEP 2

Preheat your oven to about 240 degrees or so or to your highest max!
While thats going on put a pan on fire and heat up the butter.Add the minced meat , sage leaves, 3 garlic cloves (remaining 5 will be used later), chopped red onions, half a madam jeanette pepper, celery and fry it all up. After leave it to cool down for about 15 minutes.

STEP 3

When cooled down add some chopped/diced dried apricots (about a handful)
salt, the raw egg, pich of nutmeg, squeeze half the lemon juice in it and add the breadcrumbs. Mix this all together with your hands ( no need to clean please wash your hands well!) Your stuffing is done!

STEP 4

Now comes the challenging part. Turn the turkey tray towards you with the neck away and the legs at your side so you can look straight up the cavity.
from the sides of the cavity start gently pulling the skin away from the flesh. Do this by starting with you fingertips under the skin and gently pushing deeper keeping your palms flat on the flesh as if you are massaging the flesh softly.
I could do it so it is definitely possible that at one point you can put your whole wrist under the turkey skin. Be careful not to tear it though!
Move all across it and try to seperate as much skin from the turkey as possible.

STEP 5


Put the whole orange in the microwave for 30 seconds and start stuffing your turkey put about 3/4th of the stuffing in it. Then proceed to share the remainder of the stuffing under the turkey skin. As much as possible in the legs so they cook a bit longer ass they usually need more time to cook than the top part of the turkey. Then take some soft butter, mix it with dried sage and cut celery leaves, some chopped up garlic, chopped red onions and salt. mix it all together and rub all this under the turkey skin spread it evenly and thickly under the skin from the top and in the legs. Basically anywhere you can get under the skin. Once you are done pop the microwaved orange in the entrance of the turkey cavity to keep all those tasty flavours locked up. Make some cuts in the orange just 2 or 3 with the tip of a sharp knife. The juices mix with the turkey flavour making it extra yummy!

STEP 6


Now make some deep groves (holes) in the turkey leggs and other thicker parts of the turkey and stick in rosemary sprigs and pust in small pieces of bacon ith your finger or I used a toothpick to push the bacon in the groves. do this all over but the legs are the most important.

Royally pour and run olive oil all over. Wash unpeeled red onions about 2 or 3 and just pop them in the tray as well. throw in a bailey leave or two, season the turkey with salt,pepper and a bit of dried sage and herb seasoning (if you like that) then drape the turkey with a couple of bacon rashers and voila!....ooh yeah put some foil around the bottom end of the turkey legs as in the picture. They will eventually fall off after the cooking process.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE!: It takes 20 minutes for about 500 grams. Mine was about 3 kilos so it took 2 hours. No matter what the calculation add 30 extra minutes cooking time to it. So mine was in all 2 and a half hours ! TIMES MENTIONED BELOW ALREADY INCLUDE THIS EXTRA HALF AN HOUR!

STEP 7

Lower the heat of the oven to 180 degrees celcius (or 250 Fahrenheit/gas 4)
Cover the turkey tray with aluminium foil. DURING THIS PERIOD LEAVE THE OVEN CLOSED!

Remove the foil from the turkey for the last remaining 1:15 (one hour and 15 minutes). Take it out and pour the drained liquids over it every 30 minutes. with a brush or spoon.

When it has about 45 minutes remaining take it out rub some ketchup over the sides and legs with a spoon or a brush, pour some of the turkey juices over that and drape the turkey with the remainder of the bacon.

POP BACK INTO THE OVEN FOR 45 MINUTES!

For the last 45 minutes keep covering the turkey with its fluids every 15 to 20 minutes.

TAKE THE TURKEY AFTER THE TIME IS UP FROM THE OVEN AND LEAVE IT TO REST IN THE TRAY FOR 15 MINUTES.



During the turkeys resting period:

Drain the remaining fluids in a saucepan and some water about (3 tablespoons), a bay leave and 2 bouilon blocks, I used beef bouillon but you can also use chicken or vegetable blocks. Stir till blocks are diluted and then add a bit of white flour about two table spoons and stir until it starts to thicken. If liquid is waaaaaay too diluted add another tablespoon of flour...not more than THREE tablespoons and keep stirring on a low fire until it thickens. Serve the gravy with the turkey. DO NOT LET IT BOIL!

Make it extra tasty with some mashed potatoes, grilled red onions from the baking tray (remove the outer covering of the onion first), seasonal veggies and cranberry compote.

Smakelijk eten!


Some soft beats to create that Turkey with love L.O.V.E. !