Tips for roasting your turkey to moist, plump, golden perfection
* To defrost: It is best to defrost the turkey in the fridge for one day (24 hours) before required. If you are short of time, submerge the frozen turkey in a cold water bath for 6 to 8 hours. Never submerge in hot water as this can cause bacteria growth.
* Remove the packet with the giblets and use to make gravy.
* Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towel.
* When stuffing a turkey, do not overfill the cavity. Turkey with stuffing will take longer to cook than a turkey without stuffing.
* Unstuffed turkey takes 20-30 minutes per 500g less overall to cook than a stuffed one.
* To help keep a turkey moist it can be placed breast side down on the roasting rack for most of the cooking time. Turn it breast side up for at least the last 30 minutes to brown the breast.
* Covering the turkey with a tent of foil while roasting will also help keep it moist.
* Most turkeys bought from supermarkets come with a red button which pops out when cooked.
* The following is a guide for cooking time
3-4kg will take 3-3½ hours
4-6kg will take 3½-4 hours
6-8kg will take 4-6 hours
* A meat thermometer should register at least 74°C or 165° F for the turkey to be cooked.
* After testing the three recipes, I found that the spatchcocked turkey with the pesto under the skin was the moistest of all the turkeys. It also cooked much quicker done this way.
BRINED, STUFFED ROAST TURKEY
Serves 6
3-4kg turkey, rinsed, giblets removed and reserved
250ml sea salt
250ml light brown sugar
125ml honey
125ml apple cider vinegar
4 bay leaves
45ml Worcestershire sauce
30ml mustard seeds
15ml juniper berries
15ml black or pink peppercorns
2 onions, peeled and quartered
3-4 stalks of celery
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
oil for roasting
500ml chicken stock
Stuffing
50g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g pork sausages, meat removed from casings
500ml fresh breadcrumbs
2 small apples, grated
45ml chopped sage
salt and pepper
Gravy
turkey giblets
1 litre of water
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
a handful of parsley
50g butter
60ml flour
500-600ml stock
salt and pepper
BRINE: Put turkey breast side down in a large deep container that will hold it snugly.
Combine salt, sugar and honey and stir until dissolved. Add vinegar, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, mustard seeds, juniper berries and peppercorns. Add onions, celery and garlic.
Pour this mixture over the turkey and add enough cold water to cover the turkey. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook, drain turkey well from the brine and pat dry with paper towel.
Stuff the turkey and truss to hold its shape. Brush with oil and place in a roasting pan. Add chicken stock to the pan.
Cover with foil and roast at 180°C for the time according to the weight (see our guide). Remove foil for the last 40 minutes of cooking to brown.
Baste frequently. Rest the turkey, covered with foil, for 15 minutes before carving.
STUFFING: Melt the butter and fry the onion, celery and garlic until soft. Remove and cool. Combine with remaining ingredients and mix well.
Use this mixture to stuff the cavity of the turkey. Any extra mixture can be rolled into balls and fried in a pan and served with the turkey.
GRAVY: To make a good gravy to go with the turkey, put the giblets in a saucepan and add water, carrot, celery, onion and parsley.
Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour. Remove and strain. Keep this liquid to supplement the pan juices.
Once the turkey is cooked, remove from pan and strain off any remaining liquid in the pan, scraping off all the brown bits as well. Skim off any excess fat. Strain through a sieve.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook until it turns a light golden colour. Stir in 500-600ml of the strained stock liquid until mixture has boiled and thickened. Season well.
BASIL PESTO STUFFED SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY
Serves 6
Pesto
375ml basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
180ml grated Parmesan cheese
50g blanched almonds
125ml olive oil
salt and pepper
Turkey
1 small turkey, spatchcocked
30g butter
250ml chicken stock
Balsamic roasted onions
6 red onions, halved and peeled, leave the stem intact
60ml balsamic vinegar
30ml olive oil
45ml brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
PESTO: Put the basil and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and roughly chop. Add the cheese and almonds and pulse again. Then, with the machine running, slowly add in the olive oil.
Adjust the seasoning to taste. Scrape it into a bowl.
TO SPATCHCOCK THE TURKEY: Place the turkey breast side down on your board. Using a sharp knife or strong kitchen scissors, cut the length of the bird next to the back bone. Cut on the other side of the backbone to remove completely.
Turn the turkey over and press down to flatten it.
Slip your fingers under the skin of the turkey and loosen it gently without tearing it. Work the pesto mixture under the turkey skin. Also make sure you get the pesto under the skin of the legs and thighs.
Rub the turkey with the butter and season well. Place the turkey into a roasting pan, add the stock to the pan and roast at 180°C for 45-60 minutes until it is cooked. Baste with any pan juices from time to time.
Remove from the oven and put the turkey on to the carving board, cover with foil to rest for about 10 minutes before carving. Serve with balsamic roasted onions.
ONIONS: Put the onions in an oven roasting dish. Combine the balsamic, olive oil, sugar and garlic and mix well.
Pour over the onions and toss to coat with the mixture. Roast at 180°C for 20-30 minutes, basting frequently, until soft and sticky.
MIDDLE EASTERN ROAST TURKEY WITH JEWELLED COUSCOUS
Serves 4-6
1x 3kg turkey, cleaned
50g butter, softened
grated rind of 1 lemon
30ml lemon juice
30ml finely chopped preserved lemon (optional)
1 onion, peeled and halved
60ml pomegranate molasses*
30ml olive oil
30ml orange juice
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml paprika
250ml white wine
250ml chicken stock
orange slices
Couscous
250ml couscous
250ml hot chicken stock
15ml olive oil
60ml chopped dried apricots
60ml chopped pistachio nuts
60ml chopped coriander
salt and pepper
125ml pomegranate rubies
Loosen the skin of the turkey at the breastbone. Combine the butter, lemon rind, juice and preserved lemon. Spread this under the skin at the breast.
Put the halved onion into the cavity. Combine the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, orange juice and spices and mix well. Brush this mixture over the turkey and place it on a rack in an oven pan. Pour the wine and stock into the pan. Add the orange slices.
Cover the pan with foil and roast at 180°C for 1½ hours. Remove the foil and baste the turkey well. Brush on any remaining spice mixture.
Return to the oven without the foil and roast until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven. Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with couscous.
COUSCOUS: Put the couscous in to a bowl and pour over the stock. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork to separate the grains.
Add the olive oil, apricots, pistachio nuts, coriander and seasoning and mix well. Sprinkle with pomegranate rubies before serving.
* POMEGRANATE MOLASSES: Combine 1 litre pomegranate juice, 125ml castor sugar and 60ml lemon juice in a saucepan and simmer until the mixture is reduced and thickened. You should end up with about 250ml of molasses which can be bottled and kept in the fridge. - The Star