Stuffed roast turkey (with rice)

A Christmas favourite!

Stuffed roast turkey (with rice)
A Christmas favourite!

Stuffed roast turkey with rice is a must for the Christmas table in Cyprus.
There are also other alternative ways to make the stuffing for the turkey. Rice is replaced with pourgouri (crushed wheat).Also another way is with dry breadcrumbs (also fresh bread may be used instead).

Ingredients:
4 kg whole Turkey +(1-2 carrots, 1-2 celery stalks, 2 onions, 1 leek,2-3 bay leaves,8-10 whole black peppercorns,1/4 cup red wine(or brandy) and 1 stalk of fresh sage and thyme) for flavouring the turkey during cooking.

For the stuffing:
Chopped liver from the turkey
2 cups fresh chicken stock or 1 cube diluted with water
1 cup rice
1 onion chopped
2 spring onions chopped
½ cup commandaria wine
2-3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon mixed spice
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts
½ cup raisins (from Cyprus Sultanina grapes)
5-6 chestnuts cooked in small pieces
1 green apple in pieces
Sea salt and black ground pepper

Preparation:
1.Clean and wash the Turkey very well. Brush the turkey with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove the edge from the wings and the neck(we may keep them to use later under the Turkey into the pan with the carrots, celery, onions, leeks – all to be cut into pieces with the red wine and some water. Also add the bay leaves, whole black peppercorns and 1 stalk of fresh sage and thyme.

2. In a casserole pour the olive oil, the liver and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice, spices, commandaria, the stock and the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high temperature until the liquids evaporated and set aside to cool.

3.Stuff the turkey with the mixture and sew the belly or stick a few large bamboo skewers.

4.Put the turkey into the baking pan and cover with the lid. If your pan does not have a lid you may put a non-stick baking paper and close with aluminium foil.

5.Cook on a preheated oven 175°C for 3 hours approximately. One indication that our turkey is ready: when pulling the leg and separate easily from the bone, or we may use a food thermometer and the inner temperature reaches 74°C.(always check the thickest part of the turkey)

6.Serve Turkey with cranberry sauce-you may buy ready or make your own with fresh or frozen cranberries.

You may take the juices from the pan where we cooked the turkey and pass from fine sieve and add flour to prepare the gravy sauce. You  may also  add various aromatic herbs of your choice to enrich the flavor of the sauce.

Bon appétit and Merry Christmas!