The turkey will not only decorate the New Year's table, but also become its signature dish. Of course, only if you cook it well. This is not so easy to do, especially if the bird is caught large. Therefore, cooking begins with the selection of the carcass.
Carcass selection
By tradition, a whole bird is prepared for the New Year's table. Ideally, the carcass should be just chilled, not frozen. If you can't find one, defrost the turkey without haste: in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
The larger the turkey, the longer it will take to bake. If many guests are invited to celebrate the New Year, then choose a bird of at least 5 kg (at the rate of about 300-500 g of meat per person). Please note that the turkey will "fry" a little during the cooking process.
When choosing, pay attention to the skin: it should be light, without spots, with a beautiful yellowish tint.
Calculation of cooking time?
If the bird is frozen, it should thaw. At room temperature, this will take 5 to 20 hours, depending on carcass size and room temperature.
And in order for the bird to turn out to be tender and fragrant, it must be pickled. To do this, ideally, she should spend the night in the refrigerator in the marinade. Or at least a few hours.
Cooking time depends on many nuances:
- the age of the bird;
- weight;
- oven models.
Calculate as follows: 50 minutes per 1 kg. Note also that the older the bird, the harder its meat.
Pickling and stuffing
Here are some pickle options.
- Crush several cloves of garlic into olive oil, add salt, add a pinch of Provencal herbs. Let the marinade sit for a quarter of an hour, then spread it on the inside and outside of the bird.
- The second option is quick, the meat is marinated for a couple of hours in a mixture of lemon juice, salt, pepper, soy sauce and chopped garlic. When using this marinade, you are guaranteed a juicy turkey.
- An equally interesting marinade will turn out if you mix a glass of natural grape juice, a glass of chilled water, ¼ tsp. citric acid, 1 tsp. salt and sugar, 7 peppercorns.
An important point! Since the carcass is large, it will not be salted evenly, so you need to prick it with saline. This can be done with a disposable syringe. You need to draw up a strong saline solution and make several injections into the breast and legs.
Stuffing turkey is an art. It is not worth using porridge for this because of the large size of the bird. The filling is necessary to retain moisture so that the turkey remains juicy during cooking.
Most suitable fruit fillings:
- apples;
- pineapples;
- oranges;
- tangerines.
Other fillings and additives:
- spinach (and other greens);
- cheese;
- pumpkin;
- carrot;
- onion;
- mushrooms;
- nuts;
- spices, spices.
Place the filling so that there is still space inside the carcass, the hot steam should circulate freely.
What to bake in?
It is very convenient to bake the bird in the sleeve, but it is not so easy to place it there. In addition, the bag may "not withstand" such a long baking process. The best option is to use foil.
Foil turkey recipe
Marinade:
- a pair of garlic heads,
- marjoram,
- 30 g olive oil
- juice of one lemon,
- salt,
- nutmeg, pepper.
Filling:
- apples - 3-4 pcs.,
- pineapples -350g.,
- cheese - 100 g,
- garlic - 4 cloves,
- lemon - 0.5 pcs.,
- mayonnaise - 2-3 tbsp. l.,
- basil - a couple of sprigs.
Preparation:
Prepare the marinade by mixing the oil, spices and chopped garlic, and let it brew for 15 minutes. Rub the bird with it, wrap it in a bag and refrigerate for 12-15 hours.
After this time, prepare the filling: cut apples, cheese, pineapples into cubes, add spices, put the whole garlic cloves, add mayonnaise and stuff the turkey. Legs must be tied before baking.
Oven baking temperature
Wrap the carcass in foil, place on a baking sheet in a preheated oven. At 250 degrees, the bird is baked for the first half hour, after which the temperature must be lowered to 180. Half an hour before the expected end of cooking, the turkey must be taken out, carefully unfold the foil and check the bird for readiness by piercing it with a wooden skewer.
Transparent juice should be released from the puncture site. Unfold the foil, allowing the bird to breathe, and place it in the oven for another half hour for a delicious crust, but be careful not to burn the turkey.
The main decoration of the New Year's table is ready! Bon appetit and Happy New Year!
