Turkey

Tips from Nigella

1.8 kg of good sausages from the butcher and push under the skin of the Turkey, secure flaps of skin with metal skewer
butter the foil that sits over the Turkey when cooking

Turkey Stuffing

100 g butter

200g bread cut into cubes

2 onions chopped finely

500g sausage meat

3 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp thyme

Salt and pepper

150g bacon chopped

1 1/2 cup walnuts

170g Craisins

100g dried apricots chopped

1. Put cubed bread into a food processor and process until the bread is small crumbs
2. Put the onions and butter into a saucepan, cover and cook gently for 10 mins, then cool
3. Add sausage meat, parsley, thyme, bacon, walnuts, craisins, apricots and cooled onion
4. Mix altogether and stuff the turkey. If there is too much then roll leftovers into balls and roast in an oven 180 degrees for about 40 mins

Follow the Sage and Cranberry Thermomix recipe up to everything except sausage meat, tip out mixture into a large bowl, put on gloves and mix the sausage meat in.

Doubled the recipe for an 8 kg turkey, quite a bit left over that could be rolled into balls and roasted the next day

Other stuffing choices

thick slices Vogel mixed grain bread

Pork sausages without the skin

lemons

Pistachios

Rosemary

Thyme

Christmas stuffing tray bake

65g (1/3 cup) dried cranberries
1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
100g pancetta slices, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pane de casa or vienna loaf, unsliced
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs, to serve

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan forced. Lightly grease a 3cm‐deep, 23 x 28cm baking dish.
Step 2
Combine the cranberries and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside to soak until needed.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat then cook the onion (1 brown onion, chopped), stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the pancetta and cook for a further 3‐4 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Step 4
Cut the crust off the whole loaf of bread without taking too much of the bread with it. Cut or tear the bread into 2‐3cm pieces. Add to the pancetta mixture with the soaked cranberries, lemon rind, egg and thyme. Season then stir until combined.
Step 5
Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared dish and spray with oil. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and crisp on top. Sprinkle the stuffing tray bake with extra thyme leaves and serve hot.

Brining the Turkey

Brined turkeys tend to cook a little more quickly than un-brined turkeys, so check the internal temperature of your turkey about an hour before the predicted cooking time is over. Once your turkey registers at least 74°C in the breast meat and thighs, then it’s done.

1 whole turkey

Aromatic options

bay leaves

Maple Syrup (6 tbsp)

Honey (6 tbsp)

peppercorns

allspice

Cinnamon sticks

cloves

Star anise

Ginger

herbs

orange peels

lemon peels

3.5 litres water

3/4 cup table salt

Unwrap your turkey and remove the giblets, then transfer it to the pot. Add any aromatics you'd like to use. Place turkey in the pot
Mix the brine solution. Heat 1 litre of water in the microwave until warmed — it doesn't need to come to a boil, just be warm enough to dissolve the salt. Add the salt and stir until the salt is dissolved. Let the liquid cool slightly; it's fine if it's still a touch warm.
Pour the salt water over the turkey.
Pour the remaining 2.5 litres of water over the turkey. This dilutes the salt solution to the best ratio for brining and also helps further cool the solution.
Make sure the turkey is completely submerged. If needed, prepare more brine solution at a ratio of 1/4 cup salt per litre of water and then another 2.5 litres (with no salt) to completely submerge the turkey.
Cover and refrigerate. If the turkey floats, weigh it down with a dinner plate. Cover and place it in the refrigerator.
Brine for 12 to 24 hours. Brine the turkey in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
Rinse the turkey in cool water and pat dry. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Clean your sink thoroughly after doing this step to avoid cross-contamination.
Dry for another 12-24 hours for crispier skin (optional). If you have time, let the turkey air-dry overnight in the refrigerator. Place the turkey on a roasting rack set inside a roasting pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent cross contamination. This drying step will give your turkey crispier skin.

8 kg turkey took about 4 hours.

Cover with tinfoil and a towel for at least an hour

Jamie Oliver's Get-ahead gravy

Makes 1 Litre

2 Hours plus cooking and Defrosting

2 onions

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

2 fresh Bay leaves

2 sprigs of fresh sage

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 star anise

10 chicken wings

olive oil

optional 60ml sherry or port

4 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp Cranberry Sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 180 C
Peel the onions, wash the carrots, roughly chop with the celery and bacon
Put the veg, bay leaves, sage, rosemary and star anise into a sturdy high-sided roasting tray, then scatter chopped bacon on top
Break the chicken wings open, bash with a rolling pin to help release extra flavour as they cook and then add to the tray
Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper toss, then cook for 1 hour, or until tender
Remove tray from oven and transfer to a low heat on the hob,
Grind and mash everything with a potato masher, scraping up everything from the tray (the longer you let it fry, the darker the gravy will be)
Add sherry or port, leave it to cook away for a few minutes
Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in 2 litres of boiling kettle water
Simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally
When the gravy is the consistency, pour it through a coarse sieve into a large bowl, pushing as much as you can through the sieve
Taste and season, cool to room temperature, then pour into containers or bags and put in the fridge or freezer ready to finish off on Christmas Day
If frozen, take the gravy out to defrost when your turkey goes into the oven
When the turkey's perfectly cooked, rest for 2 hours covered with double layer of tinfoil and tea towel
Skim away most of the fat from the tray, cool, and place in a jar in the fridge for tasty cooking another day
Pour your gravy into the tray with the rest of the turkey juices
Bring to boil over the hob and scrape up all the bits from the base
Have a taste and then stir in the Cranberry sauce to balance the flavours
Once your gravy is piping hot, strain through a sieve, then leave it on the lowest heat until you are ready to serve
Skim away any fat that rises to the top, and add any extra resting juices from the turkey before serving

Tip: if not thick enough in another pan add 2 or 3 tbsps of flour and some of the juice from the turkey, cook it down and then add to the gravy

Cranberry Sauce

4 eating apples

50g unsalted butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

300g fresh or frozen cranberries

50ml quality spiced rum

Peel and core apples, then roughly chop and put aside
Melt the butter in a large pan on a medium heat until golden and bubbling
Stir in the Maple Syrup and when it's just beginning to lightly caramelise, strip in the thyme leaves and add the apples, cranberries and spiced rum
Leave to cook and reduce with the lid on for around 15 minutes or until the apples, have softened and the sauce is nice and thick
Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally, adding a splash of water to loosen or removing the lid for the last few minutes to let it thicken up
Have a taste and add more maple syrup if necessary
Transfer to a serving bowl, cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in fridge until needed

You could double or triple the recipe and decant into hot sterilised jars

Put jars through the hottest cycle on your dishwasher

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