This stuffed turkey is from the Marca Trevigiana, the highlands inland of Treviso, in the Veneto. The combination of chestnuts and fruit works quite well, and it will be perfect on a festive occasion. To serve 6-8 you'll need:
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- For the roasting:
- A turkey hen weighing 2 k (4.5 pounds), boned (see below link for instructions)
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- An 8-inch (20 cm) sprig of rosemary
- Several leaves fresh sage
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 4 ounces (100 g) fresh pork side (the ut used to make bacon), blanched and drained
- Salt & pepper
- --
- For the stuffing:
- 6 ounces (150 g) mild Italian sausage meat, without casing
- 1 pound (400 g) roasted, peeled chestnuts (see below link to instructions if need be,
- or use dried chestnuts soaked in warm water until soft), chopped
- 1/4 pound (100 g) baking apples along the lines of Renette, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1/4 pound (100 g) pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- The grated zest of a lemon
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 2 ounces (50 g) dried porcini, steeped in warm water until soft, drained, and minced
- 1/4 pound (100 g) dried prunes, pitted and steeped in warm water for a half hour
- A cup of whole milk or cream
- A shot of brandy
- A clove of garlic, minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Flame the bird to remove stray pinfeathers. Bone the bird. To prepare the filling, combine the sausage, chopped chestnuts, apples, pears, mushrooms, prunes, garlic, and remaining ingredients in a bowl, and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
If there are any shreds of meat left on the carcass, mince them and add them to the stuffing.
While making the stuffing, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Fill the bird, sew the cavity shut with butcher's twine, and rub the skin with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap the bird with the slices of pork side, and tie it the way you might a salami, slipping a few leaves of sage and the rosemary under the strands of string. Put the bird in a buttered roasting pan with the chopped vegetables and roast it for about 2 hours, basting it every half hour. A half-hour before it's ready remove the pork side so that the skin can brown.
When it's done remove the turkey from the pan and blend the vegetables to make a sauce; add a little broth if it's too thick, or thicken it by heating it with a tablespoon of flour diluted in a little water if it's too liquid. Slice the turkey crosswise into 1/4 inch (5 mm) slices, spoon the sauce over it, and serve.
If there are any shreds of meat left on the carcass, mince them and add them to the stuffing.
While making the stuffing, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Fill the bird, sew the cavity shut with butcher's twine, and rub the skin with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap the bird with the slices of pork side, and tie it the way you might a salami, slipping a few leaves of sage and the rosemary under the strands of string. Put the bird in a buttered roasting pan with the chopped vegetables and roast it for about 2 hours, basting it every half hour. A half-hour before it's ready remove the pork side so that the skin can brown.
When it's done remove the turkey from the pan and blend the vegetables to make a sauce; add a little broth if it's too thick, or thicken it by heating it with a tablespoon of flour diluted in a little water if it's too liquid. Slice the turkey crosswise into 1/4 inch (5 mm) slices, spoon the sauce over it, and serve.
