Fusion Xmas Turkey
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Originally posted by Guy on Dec 22nd, 2007, 6:35am »
TURKEY with CRANBERRIES, SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS AND WALNUTS
with SWEET POTATOES with CELERIAC PUREE and MANGO/CHILI/CORIANDER DRESSING (based on a Peter Gordon recipe in the FT)
Ingredients:
1500gr of boneless, skinless turkey breast
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 heaped teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
150gr shiitake mushrooms; chopped
3 table spoons soy sauce
100gr shelled walnuts, crushed to coarse bits
100gr breadcrumbs (I made mine with wholemeal rye crackers)
100gr cranberries (or more if you like some cranberry sauce on the side)
2 tablespoons runny honey or maple syrup or raw cane sugar
salt and pepper
a generous helping of fresh herbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
proceedings:
heat the oven to 160C (gas mark 3)
heat 1 tablespoon (don't overheat, even better: throw in the onions before the oil is properly hot) of olive oil and saute the onion (low fire) until coloured, stirring often. Mix in garlic and ginger and sauté for two more minutes. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and stir until the soy sauce has mostly evaporated and the mushrooms softened.
Stir in the walnuts and breadcrumbs and take from the heat.
Place the cranberries in a small pan with the honey or sugar and add cold water to half way up their sides (i.e. not much). Bring to the boil, then cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook for 5 minutes at which point the liquid will have mostly evaporated and the berries softened. Tip the berries and pan juices into the stuffing and mix. Taste for seasoning.
Lay the turkey breast flat on a chopping board. Using a thing sharp knife as long as the breast, poke a hole in the breast from the thick end to the tail end. Keep your knife parallel to the board - you don't want to break the outer flesh. Wiggle the knife from side to side to enlarge the cavity, but be careful, you don't want to make a cave. Remove the knife and gently force the stuffing into the cavity. Secure the hole with needle and thread. The generously season the breast with salt and pepper and rub with some of the oil.
Rub your oven dish with oil and a tissue paper. Sprinkle the herbs in the middle and put the turkey on top of them. Add about 1/2 a cup of water and shut the door. After 40 minutes tip the breast over. Turn the oven up to 190C (gas mark 5). and cook for a further 20 to 35 minutes. Take from oven and rest, covered loosely with foil for 10 to 20 minutes.
Roasting the Sweet Potatoes.
You can do this before dealing with the bird. Take 2 to 3 sweet potatoes and wash their skins, cut in round 1,5 cm slices and boil the slices for about 13 minutes in water with some salt. Drain into a colander, rub or brush some oil on the slices and put them in the tray around the turkey (about 20 minutes after you put the turkey in the oven.
Celeriac puree
Cut half a celeriac in chunks and boil for about 12 minutes, drain and mash (add salt pepper and nutmeg)...it doesn't get any easier
Mango, chili and coriander dressing.
1 large ripe mango (the riper the better)
2 teaspoons soy sauce or fish sauce
1 to 1/2 red chili (to taste)
1 thumb peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 limes (grate the zest from one, then juice them both)
1 bunch of coriander
place the ingredients in a blender and blend for about 40 seconds until emulsified. Taste for seasoning.
(was tested on and approved by viki last week and will be tested again on anne next week...both are hard to please customers...and I was quite happy myself)