Roasted stuffed turkey

How to prepare stuffed turkey .

Until a few years ago,  roast and stuffed turkey was only associated with very specific occasions of the year such as Christmas or Thanksgiving , but now it is a special dish for many days of the year.

Turkey has very little fat, no cholesterol and its meat is very nutritious and tasty, so it is a great option as a main dish for these Christmas holidays when we are already full of calories.

In addition, its preparation is simple, it is usually done like a common chicken: roasted or stuffed with other foods, but investing more time in baking. You have several examples on the blog such as  the pularda de convento , the Gallo de Mos  or the famous  Capón de Villalba that I prepare in Galician style.

We also find stuffed turkey in many homes at  Christmas . All this without forgetting the tasty, traditional and endless menus of December 24.

And is that American dishes are much more than fast food, its cuisine is as heterogeneous as its various territories and as a whole it is much richer than we popularly believe.

Behind the image of ” fast food ” are hidden an endless number of very elaborate traditional dishes such as its star dish. I hope you like it and you are encouraged to prepare it on these dates.

Before cooking turkey in US style

• Stuffing: It is the stuffing of the turkey. It is traditionally made from cornbread, raisins, celery, onion, and nuts. In this case we replace most of the ingredients with a ready-made filling that is delicious. The most recommended is to prepare a large amount of this filling, even independently to put in a source and each one to put what they want on the plate.
• Gravy: It is the sauce that is made with the juices of the turkey cooking and is used as an accompaniment.

Preparation of the filling or Stuffing

1. We prepare the filling or stuffing in a large frying pan. Heat half of the butter with the extra virgin olive oil (to celebrate the heating process) until it has melted.
2. We will poach the onions that we have previously cut into small pieces, for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
3. We cut the bacon into small strips and add it to the pan and stir everything very well integrating the ingredients.
4. Now we just have to add our stuffing or stuffing (which will give you all that flavor of American-style turkeys), the nuts and raisins previously hydrated with a little water. I advise you to do it in a glass with water and microwave for 1 minute, it is more than enough.
5. Add half a glass of water and mix, let reduce the filling for about 5 minutes.
6. This filling will give it aromas and the meat will absorb part of the flavor of it, come on, a luxury. We are not going to use everything, only a third part. We reserve in the pan.

Turkey preparation and stuffing

1. Once we have washed the turkey very well and dried it, we spread it with the rest of the butter, outside and inside it.
2. In addition to helping to roast in the oven, it will be a fundamental part so that when we season the turkey, it sticks well to the surface.
3. Grate the oranges on top of the turkey and season with salt and pepper. With the help of our hands, we rub all over the surface, even inside the animal.
4. Now we are going to fill the turkey, with the help of a spoon we put the stuffing that we have reserved in the pan, almost under pressure, until we have no hole.
5. To close it we sew it with kitchen thread, I play with an advantage because my mother is a dressmaker and something has stuck to me.
6. Once closed, place in a large bowl and squeeze the oranges by pouring the juice over the turkey and place the peels in the bowl.

Baking stuffed turkey

1. When roasting the turkey, good fire control is needed in order to make it inside without roasting too much or staying dry on the outside.
2. We preheat the oven to 150º C with heat up and down for about 15 minutes. Just while we fill and close the turkey.
3. As you can see in the photos, the tray will go to the bottom of the oven. Keep in mind that we have to put the turkey (which is very large) on the rack and it has to enter, so we place it almost flush with the bottom of the oven, just above the tray.
4. In the tray we pour half a glass of water, plus the previous orange juice and a few sprigs of thyme and oregano (optional). In this way the oven will have enough humidity so that the turkey does not stay like a stone.
5. We put the source with the turkey on the rack and bake at 220º C for 30 minutes.
6. Later we place aluminum foil on top of the turkey and bake at 180º C with heat up and down for 40 minutes for each kilo of the animal, controlling that it does not burn us.
7. This took me 3 hours in the oven. The most important part of this process is to water it with the broth that is released every 30 minutes, thus we avoid that the animal stays dry and that the skin burns us.
8. The process is not difficult but it is laborious, keep in mind that it is 2-3 hours, in which we can be watching TV, reading a book or getting lost online. Set the kitchen clock or timer to notify you every 30 minutes.

Preparation of the Gravy sauce

1. To complete the garnish I opted for a very American accompaniment of carrots, very simple.
2. Cut the carrots into sticks and sauté in a frying pan over low heat with a little butter, about 30 minutes, until tender.
3. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and ground cumin. Incredible to accompany the dish.
4. I also prepared the cranberry sauce without complicating my life. You just have to put it in a saucepan at medium temperature, add one or two spoons of water and with some rods, mix everything. In the same way we make the sauce to accompany the turkey.
5. We pour in a saucepan a glass and a half of hot water and three tablespoons of the Gravy (prepared for the turkey).
6. We stir until it is thick. We reserve.

Final presentation of the stuffed turkey

1. Once we have everything prepared, animal and garnish, we remove the animal to a base where to carve it. It must be a fixed surface so that it does not move too much and carefully, we carve and slice it. It is the most difficult part, so if someone volunteers, don’t reject it.
2. We fill the filling in the tray with the broth and juices that the turkey has released.
3. We add all the stuffing or filling that we have reserved and mix well, so we get more flavor. This is the best of the dish, it is certainly delicious.
4. To plate we put a piece of turkey, some of the filling and the accompaniments. If you like roasted potatoes , they will not be painted or a garnish of peas with turkey sauce … yummy.

Simply great, a 10-point recipe that will impress your guests.

Tips for a Turkey Stuffed Turkey

• This turkey is traditionally accompanied with a filling made from corn bread and sage and is traditionally served with a jelly or cranberry sauce.
• And to finish this copious meal, you can not miss a good dessert, it is usually accompanied with its famous Apple Pie, apple pie or a delicious chocolate brownie .
• You can see in the photo that the turkey is much bigger than a chicken, and that this was not one of the most beautiful. Luckily the bug comes already prepared, empty and clean, but it is important to pass a little water to remove any impurities and dry it with absorbent paper.
• The sauces (previously heated) we put them in some separate saucers so that each one can pour what they want.
• Do not think about putting previous dishes, it must be a unique dish, with a good American dessert such as pumpkin pie or Pumpkin pie , coffee or tea and well watered with the wine that you like the most!

Origin of the Thanksgiving Turkey tradition

• The turkey , called  gallina de las Indias  by the Spanish conquistadors, hails from Mexico where the Aztecs called it guajalote. He came to Europe from this country in the first third of the 16th century through the Jesuits.
• Hence the turkey was originally called ” Jesuit .” At that time it became a symbol of delicacy that was reserved for the monarchy and high society, and later a protagonist of Christmas lunches and dinners.
• The English called it ” turkey ” because they discovered it in Turkey, and made it  the classic Christmas dish.
• The roast turkey stuffing is one of the options for the day of Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving Day) . A traditional United States celebration, celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November, which this year is November 22.
• Generally, on this holiday, family and friends gather around a table to share a banquet. Although its origins are religious, it is considered a secular festival.
• Most people in the United States celebrate this holiday with family gatherings in their homes where they prepare a feast. In many houses it is common to offer a prayer of thanks and the traditional main dish for lunch or dinner is a large roasted or baked turkey.