First published: 13/12/2021
If you like to stick to traditions, you will probably prepare a turkey for Christmas. And to give it a festive touch, it is stuffed. Here we give you some tips and two recipes for a stuffing. Varying on a theme is also possible. For example, the stuffings can also be used for chicken or guinea fowl.
Table of contents
Turkey
Contrary to what its French name (dinde) suggests, this bird has nothing to do with the Asian continent of India. The turkey comes from Mexico. It was discovered in 1520 by the Spanish conquistadors. But because they did not know exactly where they were – they thought they were in India – they called this bird “Indian chicken” (“poule d'Inde”).
The turkey was introduced to France by the Jesuits: they were bred in a farm near Bourges. The turkey was first served at a large banquet in 1570 on the occasion of the marriage of Charles IX. From 1630 onwards, it became a common dish.
The Aztecs domesticated turkeys. Prepared with chocolate, this was their national dish: “mole poblano de guajolote”. In this part of the American continent, turkeys also lived in the wild and saved the first colonists from starvation.
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How did the turkey end up on our festive plate?
In the US, turkey stuffed with cornbread and eaten with cranberry jelly is a traditional dish at Thanksgiving.
We previously had stuffed goose on the menu. The stuffed turkey only became common after the Second World War. American soldiers brought the dish from their country of origin and introduced stuffed turkey here as a festive meal. Because it is a large bird that can feed many mouths, turkey turned out to be particularly suitable for family parties.
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Filling
The stuffing may be tastier than the turkey itself if it is made with firm breadcrumbs and is seasoned vigorously. The turkey meat takes on a lot of the flavor of the stuffing. Many stuffings are often on the bland side. Some extra pepper, salt and/or other herbs certainly can't hurt. Always adjust the quantities yourself to the space available to fill. However, surplus can always be processed into snack balls.
chestnuts
Many turkey fillings contain chestnuts. You can use cooked vacuum-packed and peeled chestnuts for this. But it is better to prepare them yourself. You can easily do this a few weeks in advance. The chestnuts can then be stored in the freezer until use.
Make a cross in the skin, place the chestnuts in a saucepan with water or stock and bring to the boil. Let simmer for 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat. Now take them out one by one and immediately remove the skin and the skin on the inside while they are still warm.
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Turkey recipes
Chestnut filling with bacon and cranberries
Ingredients for a turkey weighing 4,5 to 5 kg.
- 100 g dried cranberries
- 0,5 dl red port
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 slices bacon, cut into strips
- 50g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 450g sausage meat
- 140g breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 0,5 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 140g peeled, cooked chestnuts, coarsely chopped (= 400g chestnuts)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Preparation
- Soak the cranberries in the port for 1 hour beforehand.
- Fry the onion and ham strips in the butter.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Let cool slightly and add the remaining ingredients.
- Add extra salt and pepper if necessary.
- Refrigerate and/or use immediately.
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Hazelnut filling
Ingredients for a turkey weighing over 5kg
- 350g shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 50g butter
- 1 tbsp brown caster sugar
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- 3 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 85g roasted hazelnuts
- 140g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- salt and pepper
Preparation
- Gently fry the shallots in the butter until translucent.
- Add the brown sugar and orange juice.
- Simmer gently until almost all the liquid has evaporated, leaving behind a delicious jelly-like mass of shallots.
- Place the sage in a small bowl, pour boiling water over it and let it sit for 1 minute.
- Drain in a sieve and press out the liquid; this will give the sage more flavour.
- Finely chop the sage and coarsely chop the hazelnuts.
- Mix with the breadcrumbs, orange peel and plenty of salt and pepper.
- Add the beaten egg and stir all the ingredients well with a wooden spoon until you get a juicy filling.
- Fry a small knob of the filling in a little extra butter, taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
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More turkey recipes
Via the recipe bank From Lekker van bij ons you will find about 100 recipes with turkey.
