Moroccan turkey with couscous stuffing Recipe

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Moroccan turkey with couscous stuffing

Looking for a fresh idea with turkey this Christmas? This spicy, nutty take on the big bird comes from the brand new Sunday Times Food Weekly Cookbook.

Serves: 6-8 people

couscous

Moroccan

turkey

Ingredients

For the couscous stuffing:

30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil

15ml (1 tablespoon) butter

2 large finely chopped onions

Finely chopped preserved lemon or the zest of one lemon

2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) saffron strands, saoked in 30 ml boiling water

10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground coriander

10 ml (2 teaspoons) dried cumin

80g soaked in boiled water, drained and finely chopped dried apricots

150g cous cous, soaked in 300 ml chicken stock and fluffed up with a fork

60 ml (1/4 cup) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 large beaten egg

Salt and black pepper

For the turkey:

15g softened butter

1 finely chopped garlic clove

100g finely chopped pistachios

5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

salt and pepper

1 turkey, about 3-4 kg (or a large chicken), cleaned and dried

250 ml hot chicken stock, or boiling water

Method

For the stuffing, heat the oil and butter and fry the onions until soft. Add the lemon and saffron with the water. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the remaining ingredients and allow to cool completely. Push the stuffing into the cavity of the turkey. Shape any leftover stuffing into balls and keep aside.

Combine 125g of the butter with the garlic, pistachios, cumin and pepper. Loosen the skin on the turkey breast and the neck cavity and carefully push the nuttty butter under the skin. Secure the skin with toothpicks if necessary.

Combine the remaining butter with the cinnamon. Season and smear all over the turkey.

Place turkey in a roasting pan with the stock. Cover with foil and roast in a preheated oven at 60 degrees C for 25 minutes per 500g. Remove the foil, place the stuffing balls around the turkey and roast for a further 30 minutes until the turkey is golden brown and the stuffing is cooked. Rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Extracted from Sunday Times Food Weekly Cookbook, by Hilary Biller.