Every December we fall in love with tradition, but there’s more than one way to truss a turkey. Traditional turkey with two stuffings is a great mix of the old and the new. Both stuffing recipes make more than you need for one turkey, but it’s good to have plenty. Bake the excess stuffing in a loaf pan for 1 hour, then slice and serve as a side dish.
Traditional turkey with two stuffings
Ingredients
Sausage stuffing
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh sage, roughly chopped
- 500g pork bangers, skins removed
- 200g unsalted pistachios, chopped
- 200g breadcrumbs handful dried cranberries (optional)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Pear and pecan nut stuffing
- ½ a day-old seed loaf, crumbed
- 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- handful fresh sage leaves
- 250ml (1 cup) dried pears, chopped
- 250ml (1 cup) pecan nuts, chopped
- 250g butter, melted
- 1 turkey, about 3,5kg salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 120g butter, softened, for basting
Instructions
To make the sausage stuffing, fry the onion in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the herbs and sausage meat and fry until evenly browned, about 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts, breadcrumbs and berries. Fold in the egg to bind the mixture.
To make the pear stuffing, soak the breadcrumbs in the chicken stock.
Gently fry the onion in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and sage. Add the pears, nuts and onion mix to the bread mixture. Stir in the butter. The stuffing should be quite moist, so add extra butter if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Remove the turkey from its wrapping, remove all the inside bits and pat it dry inside and out. Stuff the turkey with sausage stuffing in one cavity and pear stuffing in the other. Season and rub the turkey all over with the butter.
Place the turkey in a roasting tray, cover tightly with foil and roast for about 1 hour. Remove the foil and roast uncovered for a further 1 – 1½ hours. Most turkeys have a pop-up thermometer that indicates when they are cooked, but check it yourself too – it is ready when the juices run clear.
Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving with a very sharp knife.
Notes
To drink: Altydgedacht Barbera 2002, combining ripe red fruit and fynbos on the nose with a dense, soft palate.
