Stuffed turkey is a dish belonging to the American culinary traditions served on the occasion of Thanksgiving. Since the choice of ingredients is practically unlimited, it is possible to prepare different types of filling: sweet, pungent, hearty, light and so on. The topping illustrated in this recipe is great on its own, but is also a good base for other ingredients.
Doses for 15 people
Ingrediants
- 2 loaves (read the instructions to understand which type of bread to choose)
- 115 g of butter
- 20 champignons
- 20 oyster mushrooms
- 4 large celery stalks
- 2 white onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 5 g of fresh parsley (or 5 g of dried parsley)
- 5 g of fresh sage (or 5 g of dried sage)
- 1.2 L chicken stock (you may not need to use it all)
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- Optional ingredients, such as sausage, dried / fresh fruit or goat cheese
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Prepare the Filling
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 135 ° C
Step 2. Cut the bread into cubes about 2 cm wide
If using a whole loaf, first cut it lengthwise, then stack the slices and cut them into cubes.
- Usually for the filling, pancarré, challah or bagel are used. For unusual flavors and textures, try sourdough bread or cornbread. Avoid bread with a crunchy crust and soft crumb, as it can become mushy.
- The electric bread cutter facilitates the procedure.
Step 3. After preheating the oven, place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake them for about 10 or 15 minutes, until they are toasted
- If the bread is already hard and stale or you are using cornbread, you can skip this step.
- On a separate baking sheet, toast a couple of handfuls of roughly chopped pine nuts or walnuts (optional). If using pine nuts, take them out of the oven after 5-7 minutes to prevent them from burning.
Step 4. Chop the vegetables and herbs
Dice the celery, onions and garlic. If using parsley and fresh sage, chop them. Coarsely chop the mushrooms, trying to get a consistency similar to that of minced meat.
Step 5. Skip the mushrooms
In a large, thick-bottomed skillet, melt a third of the butter. Let it cook until it stops bubbling, but remove it from the heat before it turns brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. They should start to sizzle and brown.
To save time, cook the mushrooms with the other ingredients, although this will leave a more intense flavor
Step 6. Leaving the mushrooms in the pan, melt the remaining butter, then add all the vegetables and herbs you cut, plus thyme, salt and pepper
Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until they wilt. Some vegetables should remain crunchy when cooked, especially celery.
The filling requires more butter than traditional sautéed vegetables, as it must be moist to keep it compact
Step 7. Add the toast cubes to the vegetables and mix well in the pan itself or in a large bowl
Step 8. Heat the chicken stock on the stove or in the microwave until it starts to steam, then gradually pour it over the bread while stirring
The bread must soak well. If you are going to cook the stuffing inside the turkey, use only ¾ of the stock so that it can absorb the juice from the meat.
- If the filling does not become compact, beat 1 or 2 large eggs and add them. Do this just before stuffing the turkey.
- If you have time, you can make some turkey broth in advance. Place the turkey giblets in a saucepan filled with water and simmer for an hour.
Part 2 of 2: Cooking the Filling
Step 1. Decide whether to cook it with turkey or separately
Using it to stuff the turkey before baking it allows you to get a much tastier dish, but this also carries the risk of contracting a bacterial infection. Food hygiene experts strongly recommend using a cooking thermometer that can reach the center of the filling. If you don't have one, cook the filling separately.
- Never stuff a turkey that you intend to grill, smoke, fry, or microwave.
- Cooking the filling separately also saves 15-30 minutes on cooking times.
Step 2. Place the filling in a greased baking dish
Cover it with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes at 160 ° C. Remove the foil and let it cook for another 10 minutes, this way the meat will become golden and crisp.
When you remove the foil, you can also garnish with chopped dried fruit, crumbled goat cheese, or Parmesan (optional)
Step 3. Stuff the turkey until the filling is hot
If you made it in advance, keep it in the fridge, then reheat it in a large skillet.
Step 4. Stuff the turkey only lightly
If you overfill it, the filling could become chewy, not to mention it won't be able to cook all the way through. Calculate about 350g of stuffing for every pound of meat. If you can insert your whole hand into the turkey, the filling has enough room to expand as it absorbs the juice.
If you have any stuffing left over, score the turkey skin at the thigh joint and chest, then insert the stuffing underneath. The remaining filling can be cooked separately in the oven as explained above
Step 5. Roast the turkey to the right temperature
When you have finished stuffing it, bake it immediately at 160 ° C. Before taking it out of the oven, check that the internal temperature has reached 74 ° C. Measure it in the center of the filling, in the thickest part of the chest and, finally, in the innermost part of the thigh and wing.
- A stuffed turkey weighing around 3.5kg takes around 3 hours to cook, while a 10kg turkey around 5.
- If the turkey is ready but the stuffing is not, remove the stuffing and cook it in a greased baking dish.
- An instant-read thermometer takes about 15 seconds to measure the temperature, while a regular cooking thermometer is left for 5 minutes in the turkey.
Step 6. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before cutting or removing the stuffing
In this period of time, cooking will complete and the juice will redistribute itself in the meat to make it more tender.
Advice
- If you want to make a meat filling, cook it well before mixing it with the other ingredients. Meat with a strong and intense flavor, such as sausage or turkey liver, is particularly suitable.
- To the filling you can add a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cloves and 2 finely chopped green apples. In this case, exclude the garlic and half of the broth.
- You can use any other combination of vegetables and greens, as long as at least one of them is crunchy. Shallots, leeks, carrots, fennel, and peppers are other common options.
