Stuffed Christmas Turkey 2

A roasted turkey for Catholic Christmas is common. But it's not so easy to cook it juicy and tender without overdrying the breast. But a couple of tricks, good products - and you are guaranteed success!

Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil
• celery - 3 petioles
• peppercorns, black - 1 tbsp.
• turkey - 4-4.5 kg
• coarse sea salt
• hot red chili pepper - 1 pc
• allspice peas - 1 tablespoon
• celery seeds - 1 tsp
• butter
• coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• For filling
• large onions - 2 pieces
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• basmati rice mixture with wild rice - 2 cups
• semi-smoked sausages - 600 g
• sage - 4-5 branches
• brisket not too fat - 400 g

Directions

1. Chop off the lower joints of the legs of the turkey, remove the last phalanx of the wings (these parts burn during baking). Carefully examine the carcass to see if the feathers have not been removed anywhere.
2. Place the turkey in a large container, where it would fit freely, and pour cold water over 3 fingers. Measure the amount of liquid and add salt from a ratio of 1 tbsp. l. salt (without a slide) per 1 liter of water.
3. Chop celery into small pieces, chop chili at random. Add celery, chili, allspice and black peppercorns, coriander and celery seeds to the measured water. Bring water with salt and spices to a boil, cook for 10 minutes.
4. Cool the brine to room temperature. Place the turkey breast side down in the brine, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, leave in a cool place for 12-24 hours.
5. For minced meat, pour 3 cups of boiling water over rice, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Cut sage into strips, sausages into 2 cm pieces, brisket and onion into small cubes.
6. Melt the fat from the brisket over low heat. Add onion, fry, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add sausages, fry for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, add sage, mix with rice, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool the filling completely (if you wish, you can make it in advance, 1 day in advance, and keep it in the refrigerator).
7. Remove the turkey from the brine, pat dry, rub with olive oil on all sides. First stuff the turkey quite tightly from the side of the neck, pushing the minced meat as deep as possible inside the leather "bag". Fasten the skin with a metal skewer, several toothpicks pre-soaked in water, or sew up with strong.
8. Put minced meat in the belly of the bird, too, but a little, loosely so that air can circulate inside the bird and it is well fried. Carefully sew up the hole with strong threads. Transfer the remaining filling into a heat-resistant form.
9. Place the turkey breast side down on the wire shelf in the baking sheet. Pour 2 cups of water into a baking sheet. Cover the entire structure with foil so that hot air and steam can circulate inside. Put in an oven preheated to 230 ° C. After 15 minutes. reduce the temperature to 180 ° C. Cook for 2.5 hours.
10. Remove the baking sheet with the turkey from the oven, remove the foil, drain all the liquid formed in the baking sheet into a filled mold. Grease the turkey with melted butter and return to the oven along with the filled pan. Bake, greasing with oil every 10-15 minutes, until tender, 30-45 minutes.
11. Remove the finished turkey and filling from the oven, cover with foil and leave to "rest" for 20-30 minutes. Then remove the threads and place the bird on a preheated dish. Put the filling on a separate warmed-up dish (so that it does not interfere with cutting). Serve all together.