FOR THE ROAST TURKEY:
- 1 x 5kg bronze turkey (with giblets and the wish bone removed)
- 2 x large carrots, peeled
- 1 x large onion, peeled
- 2 x sticks of celery
- 1 x leek
- 2 x bay leaves
- 2 x chicken stock cubes
- 1/2 bottle dry white wine
- 1/4 bottle Madiera
- 1/2 pint cold water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 57g melted butter
- 2 tsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with ...
- ... 4 tsp cold water
FOR THE BRAMLEY APPLE, WATERCRESS, CHESTNUT, THYME STUFFING:
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 x small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 x garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 450g good quality sausage meat (if you find a sausage you like, you can peel the skin off and use the uncooked meat, instead of just buying unseasoned, unflavoured sausage meat)
- 1 x Bramley apple, peeled, cored and grated
- Dried breadcrumbs
- 1 x whole egg
- 1 x small bunch roughly chopped watercress
- 150g chestnuts, peeled and left whole
- Salt and freshly milled black pepper
FOR THE HONEY, GARLIC, THYME AND MUSTARD GLAZE:
- 4 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 x garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 x lemon, zest and juice
METHOD:
For the Bramley apple, watercress, chestnut and thyme stuffing:
- Heat the oil in a saucepan
Add the chopped onions, garlic, chopped apple and thyme and cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add the sausage meat and stir well (just break down the sausage meat but do not actually cook it through). - Allow to cool slightly, add enough breadcrumbs to stiffen up the mixture, but remember they will continue to thicken as they reconstitute themselves, so be careful not to add too many. Stir in the whole egg and watercress and beat the mixture well
- Finally, add the chestnuts and some salt and pepper
For the honey, garlic, thyme and mustard glaze:
- Melt all the ingredients together over a low heat and keep warm
For the roast turkey:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6
- Remove the giblets from the bird – if you are using a frozen bird, make sure it is fully defrosted
- Season the bird well inside and out with salt and pepper and pack the stuffing into the body cavity
- Tie the legs and the Parson's nose together with a piece of string and secure well, so the stuffing is held inside the bird
- Chop all the vegetables into large chunks and place in the bottom of a large baking tray; place the turkey on top – the tray should be large enough so the bird has at least 2 inches gap around
- Pour in the white wine, Madiera, cold water and chicken stock and place the whole tray on to the hob. Bring it to the boil and then cover tightly with two layers of foil and pop it into the over and cook for approximately 2 hours
- To check if the bird is cooked, remove from the oven carefully as there will be a lot of stock, wine and turkey juices; remove the foil and insert a knife where the thigh attaches itself to the body of the bird, the juices should run clear. If not, then cover again with foil and cook for a further 20 minutes
- When the bird is cooked, remove from the oven, turn the oven up to 230C/Gas 8. Carefully lift the bird out of the tray using carving forks or tongs (take care – it will be hot and VERY heavy!) and place it in a separate baking tray. Spoon a little of the honey, garlic, thyme and lemon glaze over the bird and pop it back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes, so it browns nicely and evenly. You may need to apply the glaze two or three times to get the best finish!
- Once browned, remove from the oven, loosely cover with foil and keep warm
- Strain the juices into a saucepan and skim well. On the hob, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently to reduce the stock until it is deeply flavoured, skim well and thicken with the cornflour and water mixture
- Serve the gravy separately, obviously!
http://www.itv.com/food/recipes/phils-traditional-christmas-turkey
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