Thanksgiving Turkey and Stuffing

Preparing a roast turkey is truly an act of love. Although, there is nothing more satisfying than turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving, the cooking process is taxing. My Koumbara, Georgia asked me on Thanksgiving, "What time did you start cooking? You must have been in the kitchen all morning!" I chuckled because she was being kind. When I told her that I was preparing the turkey from the day before I think she nearly fell over. Ok folks here it is. The long awaited Roasted Turkey with Stuffing recipe.

Oven Roasted Turkey

OVEN ROASTED TURKEY

1 12lbs turkey
1/2 lemon
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 celery stalks
2 onions, halved
4 to 5 garlic cloves, crushed
a few bay leaves
4 cups of white wine
salt
pepper




1. Whip the butter with the other seasonings until combined well.

2. After cleaning out the turkey wash the torso with the lemon.

3. Place the celery stalks, onions, garlic, bay leaves and wine on the bottom of the roasting pan.

4. Place the turkey on roasting rack above the vegetables. Smother the turkey with the seasoned butter both under the skin and on top. Make sure to get all the crevices.

                                                                                       STUFFING

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2 cups of long grain rice
1 package of Canadian bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
4 to 5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 to 4 celery hearts, diced
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 parsley, thinly chopped
salt
pepper
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
3 cups of chicken stock


5. In a dutch oven or deep pan prepare the stuffing.

6. Brown the bacon until slightly crispy. To get best results add a bit of water to keep from burning.

7. Push the bacon to one side and add the onion, garlic and celery. Saute gradually introducing the bacon into the mix. Season with sage, thyme, salt and pepper.

6. Lower heat. Add the rice, chicken stock and water. Simmer on medium low heat for 15 minutes. You want the rice to soften up a bit.

7. Add the pine nuts, cheese and parsley. Lower heat and stir gently. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.

8. Now for stuffing the big bird. You want to start by stuffing the cavity of the turkey first. Make sure not to over stuff because the rice will expand while cooking. Sew the cavity opening with needle and thread. Turn the turkey over very carefully to expose the cavity near the breast plate. Sew that together as well.

9. Cover generously with heavy duty tin foil. Make sure you get the entire pan covered if you don't have a roasting pan with a lid. You don't want your turkey juices to burn.

10. Place the stuffed turkey in the fridge for the night.

On the day you want to have your Thanksgiving Feast make sure you give the turkey enough time to cook properly and in a timely fashion. For a 12lbs bird you will need 6 hours of roasting time. My guests were arriving in between 2 pm and 3 pm. My turkey had to be ready at 1 pm so that it could rest and then be carved. I put my turkey in the oven at 6 am. That's right ladies and gentlemen! I'm surprised I didn't keel over half way through dinner.

11. Preheat the oven to 400F.

12. Uncover turkey and place in the preheat oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour. This will ensure that the skin of the turkey crisps up nicely.

13. After the hour over, lower the temperature to 325F. Take the turkey out and baste with the juices from the pan.

14. Cover with the foil very well. Return to the oven and continue roasting for 2 hour stretches at a time. Each time basting as you go.

Six hours later you should have a golden, crispy turkey bursting with yummy goodness ready to carved and served.

* I highly suggest you invest in an electric knife. It really carves the turkey gently and precisely.