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Why is Turkey a special Delicacy at Christmas ?
Christmas turkey, one of the most
popular Christmas dishes comes from a long time tradition. In
the olden days however, people feasted on the goose, which
symbolized the solar bird. So, those who would eat a goose would
be protected by the Sun God. Turkey was only meant for the
nobility. According to some studies, King Charles VII (1403 to
1461) was the first to relish a turkey feast during Christmas.
With the course of time, it moved out of the royalty and
aristocracy and made its way in the hearts and kitchens of the
common people all across the world. One of the reasons of its
widespread popularity can be attributed to the fact that the
bird was so conspicuous that people believed that it asked to be
served during Christmas. Besides, the obvious reason is the
taste – turkey meat is so delicious, succulent with a savoury
flavor that it became a permanent feature of the Christmas
table. Turkey is raised in almost all the temperate regions of
the world and this industrialized farming has made this
extremely affordable.
Let me share with you some of the traditional turkey recipes.
Hope you will enjoy them!
Traditional British Christmas turkey
served with Smokey bacon and mushrooms
Ingredients
For the stuffing
6 smoked bacon rashers, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
3 oz or 75 grams of wild mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
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3 oz or 75 grams of chestnuts,
peeled and chopped roughly
6 oz or 175 grams of fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon juniper berries, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1 large egg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
For the turkey
12lb or 5.5 kilograms of cut, cleaned and ready to use turkey
(please thaw well if using a frozen one)
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 bunch of fresh parsley |
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To garnish
5 to 6 small oranges
1 tablespoon oil
6 oz or 175 grams of wild chestnut and button mushrooms, cleaned
and chopped
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
Method
Preheat oven to 190 degree Centigrade or 375 degree Fahrenheit.
Lightly rinse the turkey and pat dry with the help of a kitchen
tissue.
Heat oil in a pan; add the onion, bacon, garlic and celery and
sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion caramelize and
become slightly soft.
Add the chopped mushrooms and sauté for two more minutes.
Remove pan from heat; add the remaining ingredients, making a
soft consistency with the egg and the orange juice.
Use this to stuff the neck cavity only, fastening the flap over
the stuffing with a skewer or fine twine. (Any extra stuffing
should be used for making balls and cooked around the turkey for
the last twenty minutes of the cooking time).
Now put the onions, juniper berries and parsley in the turkey
body cavity. You will now need to weigh the turkey to calculate
the cooking time (20 minutes per kilogram plus 90 minutes,
lightly covering it with a foil). Place the stuffed turkey
upside down on a roasting tin or the baking tray and cook
according to the calculated time. Thirty minutes before the
cooking time, turn the turkey right way up and also remove the
foil.
Test if it is cooked by piercing the thickest part of the body
with a long clean skewer or long knitting needle. If the juices
run clear, the meat is ready; if it is a little pink, return to
oven for some more time.
After turkey is cooked, remove from oven and place on the
serving dish. Cover with an aluminium foil and a clean towel and
keep for at least 15 to 20 minutes. This will make the turkey
much easier to carve. Garnish it with orange cups before
serving.
In the meantime, cut the oranges in half and scoop out the flesh
and pith. Put them upside down on kitchen tissues so that they
dry out a little. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil; add the
mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms
are cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the
parsley. Spoon this into the hollowed out orange scoops and
garnish around the cooked turkey. (Preparation time – 20
minutes, cooking time – approximately three and half hours,
serves – 10 to 12 people)
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Traditional Scottish Christmas turkey
Ingredients
12 lb or 5.5 kilograms of turkey and giblets
2 oz or 50 grams of butter, softened
Streaky bacon rashers cut in rinds (optional)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
For the stuffing
1 oz or 25 grams butter
4 oz or 100 grams un-smoked back bacon, finely chopped
8 oz or 225 grams finely chopped onion
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
6 oz or 175 grams lightly toasted medium oatmeal
1 egg, beaten
2 oz or 50 grams wholemeal (whole wheat) breadcrumbs
1 oz or 25 grams suet
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste |
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For the gravy
450 ml stock made from the giblets
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
2 to 3 tablespoons whisky
Method
To prepare the stuffing, heat butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add bacon, chopped onions and celery and over medium heat for
about 5 minutes or until the onions become soft. Keep aside in a
bowl. Take all the other ingredients and mix it with the cooked
onion mixture. Rinse the turkey and pat dry with a kitchen
tissue. Clean and wipe dry the inside of the turkey and stuff
the neck with the filling. Fasten the flap over the stuffing
with a skewer or fine twine. Weigh the turkey to calculate the
cooking time - 20 minutes per kilogram plus 90 minutes. Put the
turkey on the baking tray; brush with half the softened butter,
season with salt and pepper and place the bacon rashers over it
(if using) or covering it loosely with a foil. Preheat oven to
190 degree Centigrade or 350 degree Fahrenheit and start baking
or roasting the turkey, basting it at regular intervals. Thirty
minutes prior to the cooking time remove the bacon or the foil,
mix the grated orange rind with the half of the softened butter
and brush generously over the turkey. Test if it is cooked by
piercing the thickest part of the body with a long clean skewer
or long knitting needle. If the juices run clear, the meat is
ready; if it is a little pink, return to oven for some more
time. After turkey is cooked, remove from oven and place on the
serving dish. Cover with an aluminium foil and a clean towel and
keep for at least 15 to 20 minutes. This will make the turkey
much easier to carve.
Prepare the wall by skimming the fat off the juices from the
turkey; pour the juices in a pan and add the stock. Let it
simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the cornflour with the orange juice
and pour in the pan; keep stirring until it comes to boil. Put
gas on low flame and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Finally add
the whisky and pour into a serving bowl.
(Serves 12 people)
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Article Contributed By: Sukanya
Banerjee
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