Kitchen and cooking guidance

The Christmas Meal

Ingredients:

• Turkey 0.5kg per person is more than sufficient.
• 100g unsalted butter.
• 190g Stuffing mix (sage & onion, garlic & thyme).
• 100g roughly chopped walnuts.
• 100g dried cranberries.
• Mash (swede, sweet potato, and carrot) in approximately equal volumes.
• Mash (white potato).
• 400g Brussel sprouts;
• 1tbsp olive oil;
• 1 clove crushed garlic, 1tsp, thyme, pepper;
• shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, parsley.
  

Preparation for 1pm serving:

• Purchase the de-feathered frozen turkey two nights prior, or a fresh turkey one night prior.
  

Method:

Stuffing:

• Prepare the stuffing according to the packaging's instructions into a mixing bowl that has a capacity larger than 1.75 litres.
• Mix in the walnuts and cranberries until you achieve an even consistency.
• Stuff up to half the stuffing into the bird's neck.
• Round the remainder into stuffing balls.
  

Turkey:

-30 hours: Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator.

08h00: Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity; stuff the turkey; baste with butter/oil; wrap in streaky bacon if desired.

09h00: Insert prepared turkey into a fan-assisted oven at 170ºC for 20 minutes per kg + 70 minutes.

Root Mash:

• Clean, peel and chop the mash ingredients.
• 11h20: Boil in a hot stove top, giving extra time to the harder roots.
• Drain, mash, and mix into an even consistency.
  

Vegetables:

• 11h50: Steam Brussels sprouts for 10-15min (approximately 10 min/kg if boiling).
• 12h05: Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• Mix garlic, thyme, pepper, and mix with Brussels sprouts.
• Lay Brussels sprouts onto an oven tray.
• Top with shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan.
• 12h35: Oven cook at 425ºF for 25 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley.
  

Sauce and Gravy:

• Prepare according to the packaging instructions.
  

Lifting the bird onto the carving board

Greig (2016 cited in ShortList, 2016) says: “To help with lifting the turkey out of the ovendish, you should insert a long carving fork inside the cavity. Then place the bird on a carving board to catch all of the juices that will seep out while it rests.”

Carving

Greig (2016 cited in ShortList, 2016) advises: “To carve, firstly ease away the whole leg and thigh from the main carcass. You might need to cut a small sinew which is attaching the thigh bone to the carcass. Lay it skin down on the carving board, then cut through the joint between the drumstick and the thigh.”

Greig (2016 cited in ShortList, 2016) further advises: “Carefully carve the meat away from each side of the thigh bone. You should now have two decent-sized lumps of brown meat that you can cut slices from for each portion.”

Greig (2016 cited in ShortList, 2016) continues: “Carve in a line along one side of the breast bone, which is in the centre on top of the bird and runs from the front to the back. Let the knife follow the bone of the ribcage. Once the knife reaches the bottom, where the thigh had been attached, you can release the whole breast. You will then be left with an easy-to-carve lump of white meat.”