Eat like an outsider this Thanksgiving Thursday, November 23, and celebrate a traditional North American turkey roast. Aimed at promoting a delicious, healthy meat, the Spanish Interprofessional Poultry Association Avianza shared a standout recipe for this festive meal with Madrid chef Javier Muñoz Calero from Ovillo Restaurant, making it accessible for all budgets.
Muñoz Calero, who serves in the kitchen of the US Embassy in Spain, demonstrates expert techniques to ensure a flawless result. This classic dinner is observed on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks for the harvest and to celebrate the year’s abundance.
Roasted turkey recipe from Javier Muñoz Calero
• 1 6 kg turkey
• 100 g mushrooms
• 100 g portobello
• 100 g dried morel
• 100 g chantrelles
• 100 g beef tongue
• 100 g bun
• 500 g cooked cabbage
• 750 g minced turkey leg
• 600 g minced duck with its fat
• 2 red onions
• 2 leeks
• 1 garlic bulb
• 100 g Iberian ham
• Butter
• 6 eggs
• 1 liter chicken broth
• 500 ml chamomile infusion
For the stuffed turkey
• Sauté the onion and leek until caramelized.
• Fry the garlic and mix with the onion and leek.
• Sauté the mushrooms separately in very hot oil in small batches and gradually add chamomile to each sauté. Reserve.
• Sauté the seasoned ground beef separately, but let it remain in the oven for half the cooking time. Reserve.
• Sauté and fry julienned cabbage.
• Shred the cabbage and onion, leaving some chunky pieces; avoid a light sauce or puree.
• Sauté all mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, mix with the onion and shredded cabbage, add the meat, and when cooled, mix in the eggs and stuff the turkey.
Cooking a turkey
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Completely cover the turkey with aluminum foil for the first half hour. Then bake continuously at 150 degrees for about 45 minutes per kilogram.
• Brush the turkey with broth, oil, and water, and baste with the juices every 20 minutes.
• 500 ml dark chicken broth
• 500 ml Pedro Ximénez pixel wine
• 500 ml scented broth
• Salt
• Juices from the roasting pan
• 1 liter currant juice
• Orange juice
Preparation of the sauce
• Reduce each juice separately until almost caramelized.
• Combine the juices, season with salt and pepper, and finish with a few sticks of butter (about 100 g) to thicken and smooth the sauce.
Traditional stuffed turkey prepared at home
• Saute the onion and leek until caramelized. Saute the garlic and mix with the onion and leek. Saute the mushrooms separately in hot oil and slowly add chamomile to each sauté. Reserve. Saute the seasoned ground beef but keep it in the oven for part of the cooking time. Reserve. Saute and fry the shredded cabbage. Shred the cabbage and onion, leaving sturdy pieces. Mix the mushrooms with the onion and cabbage, add the meat, cool, then mix in the eggs and stuff the turkey. Cook the stuffed turkey in the oven following the guidelines above.
Tips for the perfect stuffed turkey
Beyond the recipe, the chef shares essential tips to keep the stuffed turkey looking impressive, from preventing dryness in the oven to achieving a crisper filling.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees for 30 minutes.
• For moisture and flavor, inject melted butter and Brandy de Jerez into the turkey up to 24 hours ahead.
• Roast at 150 degrees for about 45 minutes per pound, adjusting for stuffing weight.
• Choose a tender turkey variety for a better result.
• While the turkey bakes, baste with its own juices every 10 minutes and pour poultry juice onto the baking tray to maintain humidity in the oven.
• At the end, raise the oven to the maximum and use the grill to brown the skin. Move the tray to the bottom to prevent scorching the grill.
• Once the minced meat filling is cooked in the oven, remove it and fry briefly in a pan for an extra crisp texture if desired.