A KENTISH CHRISTMAS FEAST CONT .
Roasted Turkey with Pork & Apple Stuffing & Marsala Gravy Recipe by John Howe Turkeys www . johnhoweturkeys . co . uk
John Howe Turkeys was established in 1976 , with over 40 years of production experience the family-run farm produces traditional free range Bronze and White turkeys for Christmas and Thanksgiving .
Serves : 4-6 Ingredients :
For the turkey :
• 5kg free-range John Howe Totally Traditional Turkey
• 1 lemon , quartered
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 1 onion , peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 large carrot , peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 stick celery , coarsely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml dry marsala
• 500ml turkey stock
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
• Sea salt and black pepper
For the pork stuffing :
• 350g breadcrumbs , made from ciabatta bread
• 500g good quality sausage meat
• 2 Cox ’ s apples , peeled and coarsely grated
• 4 cloves garlic , peeled and finely chopped
• 100g chopped almonds
• 150g parmesan , finely grated
• 4 tbsp flat leaf parsley , chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme , finely chopped
• 5 eggs , lightly beaten
• 100g butter , melted
• 6 Cox ’ s Apples
• Sea salt & black pepper
Method : 1 . Preheat oven to 230 ° C / Gas Mark 8 .
2 . Remove turkey giblets and reserve . Rinse the turkey inside and out and dry well .
3 . For the stuffing , combine the breadcrumbs , sausage meat , apple , garlic , almonds , parmesan , chopped herbs , sea salt , and black pepper . Stir in the eggs and half of the butter and bind together well .
4 . Grease a loaf tin and line the bottom of it with baking parchment paper . Loosely place some of the stuffing into the loaf tin , press down a little , then cover and place in fridge until ready to cook . Take the apples and cut the top off , 1 / 3 of the way from the top . Remove the core , and fill each apple with the remaining stuffing and replace the lid . Brush well with rapeseed oil or melted butter and place in the fridge .
5 . Place two tablespoons of the stuffing into the small cavity ( neck end ) of the turkey , pull excess skin over stuffing and secure to underside of turkey with a wooden skewer . Place the turkey in a large roasting pan ; fill the large cavity with lemon and thyme sprigs . Brush the turkey generously with rapeseed oil and season with sea salt and black pepper and cover with foil .
6 . To make the turkey stock , place the turkey giblets , chopped onion , carrot , celery and bay leaf in a heavy based saucepan , cover with water and bring to the boil . Simmer for 2 hours , then strain . Cool and store in the fridge until needed , this can be done the night before .
7 . Place the prepared turkey in the pre-heated oven and cook at this temperature for the first 30 minutes . Then , lower the oven temperature to 180 ° C / Gas Mark 4 and cook for approximately 30 minutes per kilo , basting every hour .
8 . Meanwhile cook the stuffing in the loaf tin for 40 - 45 minutes or until golden brown .
9 . Approximately 35 minutes before the end of cooking , remove the foil , drain off any of the excess fat and place the stuffed apples around the turkey and cook for a further 35 minutes or until golden brown .
10 . Transfer the turkey to a platter , placing the apples around it , cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 20 – 30 minutes .
11 . For the marsala gravy , place the roasting pan over a medium heat , sprinkle over the flour , then gradually stir in the marsala , followed by the turkey stock and bring to the boil .
12 . Strain the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan . Add the redcurrant jelly and any juices that have collected on the platter . Stir over a medium heat until the mixture boils ; simmer for 10 minutes and season with sea salt and black pepper .
Serve the turkey carved with slices of stuffing , stuffed apples and warm marsala gravy .
Corkk ’ s choice : Simpsons Roman Road Chardonnay 2019 is great for this dish . The turkey meat will need a wine with some richness to enhance it and the buttery , light peach and spice of the wine will be a great counterpoint to the savoury dried fruit of the Marsala Gravy .
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