Turkey with smoky bacon and mushrooms
Preparation time: 15 to 20 minsCooking time: about three hours, 40 minsServes: 10-12
- one tbsp oil
- six smoked bacon rashers, chopped
- one small onion, peeled and chopped
- two celery sticks, trimmed and chopped
- two to three garlic cloves, crushed
- 75g wild mushrooms, rinsed and chopped
- 75g chestnuts, peeled and roughly chopped
- 175g fresh white breadcrumbs
- two tbsp grated orange rind
- one tbsp juniper berries, roughly chopped
- two tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- one large egg
- two tbsp orange juice
For the turkey:5.5kg/12lb oven-ready turkey, thoroughly thawed if frozenone onion peeled and cut into wedgesone tbsp juniper berriessmall bunch fresh parsley
To serve:five to six small orangesone tbsp oil175g wild, chestnut and button mushrooms, lightly rinsed and choppedone tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 190°C, 10 minutes before cooking. Rinse the turkey and pat dry. Heat the oil in a pan and gently sauté the bacon, onion, celery and garlic for five minutes.
Add the mushrooms and sauté for a further two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients, mixing to a soft consistency with the egg and the orange juice.
Use to stuff the neck cavity only, securing the flap over the stuffing with a skewer. Extra stuffing can be cooked round the turkey for the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
Place the onion, juniper berries and parsley in the turkey body cavity. Calculate the cooking time. Place upside down in the roasting tin and cook in the oven for the calculated cooking time. Turn the right way up 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a long clean skewer. If the juices run clear, it is ready, if a little pink then return to the oven.
Once cooked, remove the turkey from the oven, place on a serving platter, cover with tinfoil and a clean towel and leave for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with orange and serve.
Meanwhile, cut the oranges in half and scoop out the flesh and pith, leave upside down on kitchen paper to allow to dry out a little. Heat the oil and sauté the mushrooms for five minutes, season to taste and stir in the parsley.
Spoon into the hollowed out oranges and serve around the turkey.
Supplied by British Turkey Information Service
