It has been a Kitchen Rescue tradition for 20 years to share my favorite Yuletide recipes.

This year, I prepared a Christmas turkey for you. I have always found turkey to be a most fitting dish to serve during Christmas. It is, after all, the symbol of thanksgiving—and for us Filipinos, there is no holiday that we look forward to and hold dearer than Christmas. At this time of year, we gather in gratitude for the birth of our Lord, and for the privilege of simply being together as a family.

I rehashed my favorite turkey recipe, this time stuffing it with sausage and root vegetables. I am serving it with cranberry sauce with a hint of orange, some sweet mustard and lots of drippings. I love turkey best with mashed sweet potatoes. Roasted veg adds a nice touch too.

Merry Christmas and much love from my kitchen!

My Juicy 2024 Christmas Turkey

6-plus kg turkey

8 c ice cold water

1 c salt

1 c sugar

3 oranges, juiced

3 lemons, juiced

Peppercorns

Combine ingredients and soak turkey in brine overnight. Make sure turkey is submerged.

Wash turkey and wipe dry. Stuff the turkey (stuffing recipe below). Rub turkey with seasonings.

Bake and serve with sauces.

Dry rub

2 tsp rock salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp sweet paprika

2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

Mix together and rub on turkey after stuffing.

Sausage and Mashed Root

Vegetable Stuffing

¼ c extra-virgin olive oil

1 kg fresh pork sausage or pork sausage patties, crumbled

4 garlic cloves, pounded

1 tsp salt

½ c heavy cream

⅓ c butter

1 tsp fresh thyme sprigs

1 tsp fresh rosemary sprigs

1 tsp fresh sage

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ c chives, chopped

½ c leeks

2 c croutons

½ kg mix of carrots, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, boiled and coarsely mashed

Heat saucepan, add olive oil. Saute sausage. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding mashed roots vegetables last, mix well. Season to taste.

Wipe turkey cavity and neck area dry. Stuff cavity with sausage stuffing. Truss the bird and season with dry rub.

Prepare a baking tray with 2 cups chicken stock. Put a rack over the tray and lay the turkey on the rack. Cover the bird with foil.

Bake turkey in preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 2 hours.

Remove foil and get pan drippings to make sauce. (recipe below).

Once foil is removed, brush bird with chicken stock every 15 minutes, while browning. Continue baking turkey till golden brown.

Take turkey out of the oven. Keep it covered with foil until ready to serve.

It is important to let your turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Sauce

¼ c carrots, diced

¼ c celery, diced

¼ cup onions, diced

Liver and gizzard

1 sprig thyme

½ c sherry wine

4 c stock

Drippings

Beurre manié (combine 2 tbsp flour with 2 tbsp softened butter)—add a little at a time to sauce while simmering until desired consistency is achieved.

¼ c cream, optional

Salt and pepper

Caramelize vegetables in a pan with a little bit of oil and butter. Add thyme, turkey liver, and gizzard.

Deglaze pan with sherry. Add 3 cups stock. Add drippings. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add cream. Process sauce in a blender. Return to pot, add cream and season to taste. Thicken with beurre manié to desired consistency. Serve with turkey.

Cranberry Sauce

2 Tbsp oil

½ c dried cranberries

1 large red onion, chopped

1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

1 c chicken stock

½ c dried cranberries

1 can cranberries

1 orange, zested and juiced

2 Tbsp wine vinegar

⅓ c sugar, to taste

Salt and pepper

Sauté onions and ginger in a pan with oil. When onions are translucent, add dried cranberries. Simmer for 5 minutes

Add canned cranberry sauce, orange, vinegar, and sugar. Mix well and season to taste.

You may pulse sauce in a blender or leave as is. Add more stock according to desired consistency.

Maple mustard

1 c whole-grain Dijon

mustard

⅓ c golden brown sugar

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp cream

Mix well in a bowl. Serve with turkey.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 kg orange sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed

⅓ c butter

½ c cream

½ c maple syrup or honey

Salt to taste

You may sprinkle cinnamon and allspice for that holiday twist.

In a pot, add warm mashed sweet potatoes, softened butter, and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and season to taste.

Roasted Vegetables

1 small butternut squash, seeded, cut into chunks

Mixed vegetables (1 kg total of your vegetable of choice. Pick from carrot, zucchini, marble potatoes, onions; cut into large chunks)

¼ c melted butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic

Sugar, salt, pepper

Thyme and rosemary

Toss vegetables in butter and oil. Sprinkle with some herbs, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bake until soft and caramelized.

Tips: You may divide the recipe in two, for two roast chickens instead of one turkey. Roast chicken for 1.5 hours covered with foil.

You may also opt to stuff your turkey cavity with some fresh herbs, ½ c butter, whole garlic, peeled onion, 1 lemon halved and half an orange instead, and serve the stuffing separately. For this, transfer the stuffing on a baking dish and bake stuffing separately in an oven preheated to 350 F for 30 minutes. INQ

Follow @iamreggieaspiras on IG & FB; visit reggieaspiras.com.

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