I designed this recipe when I cooked a Thanksgiving turkey a few years ago for a group of my friends. We had representation from Argentina, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Kenya and India. While we were all celebrating a traditional American festival, I wanted each of my friends to reminisce a flavor of their native country and yet wanted their palate to taste something new, something unique. Also, I wanted the recipe to reflect the diversity of nationalities and cultures at the dinner table, the diversity that makes America, America. I felt that this recipe accomplished that purpose very well.
SERVES 10-12
For roasting the turkey
1 12-lb turkey, thawed and cleaned
½ cup vindaloo curry paste (see Spice Mix section for recipe. https://www.santoshprabhu.net/post/vindaloo-curry-paste)
½ cup chimichurri sauce (see Spice Mix section for recipe. https://www.santoshprabhu.net/post/chimichurri-sauce)
2 sticks of salted butter, softened
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp salt, adjust to taste
2 tsp ground black pepper, adjust to taste
1 lemon, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
6 garlic cloves, crushed
½ bunch of parsley
For making the gravy
Pan drippings from turkey cooked as above
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
½ tsp ground black pepper, adjust to taste
½ tsp salt, adjust to taste
For baking the stuffing
1 stick of unsalted butter, plus extra for the tray and paper
2 tsp juniper berry
3 medium onions , chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
½ lb white breadcrumbs
2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped (you can use regular eating apples or granny smith apples if you want some tartness)
½ lb soft pitted prunes, chopped (you can substitute with raisins if you do not care for prunes)
2 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
Roasting the turkey
1 In a mixing bowl, combine ¾ stick softened butter, ¼ cup of olive oil and ½ cup of the vindaloo paste. In a separate mixing bowl, combine ¾ stick of softened butter, ¼ cup of olive oil and ½ cup of the chimichurri sauce.
2 Gently loosen the skin of the turkey by inserting your fingers between the skin and the meat of the turkey ensuring that you do not tear the skin. Get under the skin of the turkey and rub the vindaloo-butter-olive oil mixture on half of the turkey. Similarly, rub the chimichurri-butter-olive oil mixture on the other half.
3 Rub the outside of the turkey with the remaining softened butter. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on the outside of the turkey and rub it uniformly. Sprinkle ½ tbsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper on the outside of the turkey.
4 Generously season the inside turkey cavity with ½ tbsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper. Stuff turkey with quartered lemon, quartered onion, 6 crushed garlic cloves and ½ bunch of parsley.
5 Tie turkey base and legs together with kitchen string; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity.
6 Pre-heat the oven to 430 °F. Start roasting at 430˚F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; quickly baste with liquid from bottom of pan using a baster or large spoon. Cover the turkey breast area with a piece of aluminum foil that is coated with olive oil on the surface that will come in contact with the breast area.
7 Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). A meat thermometer inserted in the thigh of the turkey should register at 170˚F and in the breast should register 160˚F to make sure it is fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven).
8 Transfer to serving platter and cover fully but loosely with aluminum foil. Let turkey rest at least 1 hour for it to tenderize. Reserve the dripping to make gravy.
9 Present the turkey by garnishing with edible flowers, grapes, thyme, parsley and dill. Carve the turkey for plating.
Making the gravy
1 Strain pan drippings through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard solids and reserve 2½ cups pan drippings.
2 Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and paprika until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
3 Gradually whisk in reserved pan drippings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.
4 Serve warm with the turkey.
Baking the stuffing
1 Butter a 12 x 6 x 1.5 in deep baking tray and crush the juniper berries using a pestle and mortar.
2 Melt the butter in a large frying pan, tip in the onions, garlic and celery, and fry for about 12-15 minutes until softened and just starting to turn golden.
3 Stir in the crushed juniper berries, then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs, apples, prunes, most of the parsley (reserve a small handful, to garnish), the reserved orange zest and the beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
4 Spoon the stuffing loosely into the baking tray, pat it down gently (do not pack it down) then lay a piece of buttered baking parchment on top. Set aside. Can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
5 While the turkey is resting, bake the stuffing for 30 mins in the an oven pre-heated to 375 ˚F, then remove paper and bake for a further 10 mins to brown the top.
6 Serve warm with the turkey
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