Dear friends,
November is synonymous of Thanksgiving, a cornerstone Holiday for all Americans. It is a day in which together with our dearest ones and in the warmth of our dinner table, we give thanks.
Every Thanksgiving at home is a family feast. This year our menu includes Criollo turkey, roasted root vegetables, watercress, jicama and queso fresco salad with citrus vinaigrette, and of course, assorted desserts and sweets, including lots of fresh fruits.
Today I would like to share with you my recipe for Criollo turkey and roasted vegetables. I send you a warm hug and my best wishes for this very special day.
Criollo Turkey
Yield: 8 servings
1 turkey (10-12 lb)
1 garlic head, cloves separated and peeled
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp cumin powder
2 sweet chillies, chopped
Lime zest
½ cup canola oil
1/3 cup aged rum
2 cups sour orange juice
3 bay leaves
1 onion, cut in 4
1 orange, cut in half
4oz butter, at room temperature
½ cup white wine
- Clean turkey, remove excess fat. Remove entrails and set them aside.
- Grind garlic and mix with salt, pepper, oregano and cumin. Add oil, lime zest and chillies. Mix all together. Proceed to do small cuts all over the turkey and spread mix, even inside the cavities. Mix sour orange, rum and bay leaves. Put the turkey on a plastic bag or a Tupperware with breast upside down. Let it marinate at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
- Pre-heat oven at 425° F.
- Remove turkey from marinate, dry excess liquid. Discard the marinade. Let turkey rest at room temperature 30 minutes before going to the oven. Place onion and orange on turkey’s cavity. Spread butter over the turkey and in between the skin and the flesh of the breast. Tie turkey legs.
- Place turkey (with the breast upside) on a thick stainless-steel oven tray with a rack inside. Let turkey brown 30 minutes.
- Lower temperature to 325° F and cook another 1 ½ hour. Moisten the bird every 15 minutes with the drippings in the tray.
- The turkey will be ready when a cooking thermometer shows 165° F when inserted in the breast and 175° F for the leg. Usually, the total time for a 10-12 lb turkey should be 2 ½ -3 hours, or 13-15 minutes per pound.
- Move turkey to a cutting board; remove onion and orange from the cavity. Cover turkey with foil paper and let it rest 20 minutes before carving.
- Remove excess fat from the drippings. Heat this liquid with entrails and white wine over a medium heat until it thickens. Season to taste, pass thru a sieve and serve turkey with the jus.
Roasted Vegetable Medley
Yield: 6 servings
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 red peppers
½ pound cauliflower, cut into florets
10 ounces fresh Brussels sprouts, cut into halves
5 ounces pearl onions, peeled
1 pound pumpkin, seeded and peeled, cut into small cubes
1 pound yam, peeled, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2 leaves fresh sage, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley, chopped, for garnish
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Roast peppers on stovetop until skin is charred.
- Place peppers in a closed paper bag for 10 minutes.
- Remove from bag and, using hands, peel charred skin, discard seeds and veins, and cut into long strips.
- In a bowl, mix cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and pearl onions. Add salt and pepper to taste and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- On another ovenproof tray, place pumpkin and yam cubes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, thyme, rosemary and sage.
- The turkey will be ready when a cooking thermometer shows 165° F when inserted in the breast and 175° F for the leg. Usually, the total time for a 10-12 lb turkey should be 2 ½ -3 hours, or 13-15 minutes per pound.
- Move turkey to a cutting board; remove onion and orange from the cavity. Cover turkey with foil paper and let it rest 20 minutes before carving.
- Remove excess fat from the drippings. Heat this liquid with entrails and white wine over a medium heat until it thickens. Season to taste, pass thru a sieve and serve turkey with the jus.