Ingredients
1 (10-lb) fresh turkey
2 lb coarse (kosher) salt
1/4 lb unsalted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves peeled and minced
1 lb french or italian bread
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 large egg yolks
Directions
REMOVE THE GIBLETS from the turkey for another use. Fill the neck and
body cavities of the turkey with coarse salt, then rub the skin well
all over with salt. Place the turkey and remaining coarse salt in a
large deep kettle, adding enough cold water to just cover the bird.
Set in a cool spot for 3 to 4 hours.
TO PREPARE THE STUFFING: Put the butter and olive oil in a large heavy
saute pan, or better yet, a kettle, and place it over moderate heat.
When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes
until limp. Meanwhile, tear the bread into small chunks. Add the
bread and the fine salt and pepper and toss well. Pour in the chicken
stock and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture is
pastelike. Turn the heat to its lowest point, cover the kettle and
steam 15-to-20 minutes until the bread absorbs all the liquid. Add
the egg yolks to the stuffing mixture and beat hard until smooth.
Remove from the heat and reserve. Preheat oven to 400F. Drain the
turkey and rinse several times in cool water so that all traces of
salt are gone. Place the bird on the counter with the neck cavity
facing you. With your hands, begin working the skin free from the
breast. Proceed gently, taking care not to tear the skin. It's slow
going at first, but once you begin to free the skin, the job goes
quickly. Loosen it all the way down the bird to within about 1 inch
of the tail end, down both sides. With your hands, push the stuffing
bit by bit far down under the skin and continue, packing it in
lightly, until the breast is covered with about a 1-inch layer. Next
fill the neck cavity, skewer the neck skin flat against the back to
enclose, and truss the bird. Place the turkey breast-side up in a
large shallow roasting pan without a rack and roast uncovered for
about 2 1/2 hours. Do not baste. When the bird is richly browned and
a leg moves easily in the hip joint, remove from the oven. Let stand,
uncovered, 20 minutes. Drain drippings into a sauce boat and keep
warm. Remove trussing string and skewers and serve at once on a
warmed platter.
Servings: 10 servings
Portuguese Roast Turkey Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Meat; Poultry
The History of Recipes
It is possible to follow the history of written recipes way back into the far past, at least as far as early Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, sadly, these old cookbooks were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for food preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are a few ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel blissful and exhilarated. Later on, there were some books dating from the 14th Century ; a recipe book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these books are not about the spicy food that is popular today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals eaten by the upper classes. For the next few years, the upper-class families of the West strove to serve up the most exotic banquets, and consequentially the best cooks and their recipe collections were highly sought after. However, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century the formal cooking and recipe collections became popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to collecting, testing, and recording popular recipes of the day. By the advent of the twentieth century, cookery publications were greatly in demand mostly due to better eduction, people having more spare time and being a little richer. The introduction of the TV brings us TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of the internet, permitting everyone to search through thousands of recipes such as those found on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Portuguese Roast Turkey recipe.
