Name: Roast turkey with pistachio and rosemary stuffing, and fig and mint salad
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 225 min
Total time: 260 min
Yield: 8 - 12
Ingredients: 1 free-range turkey (about 5kg); To garnish: wild rocket leaves; Pistachio and rosemary stuffing; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 200 gm bread (such as ciabatta), torn; 80 gm pistachio kernels; ¼ cup each finely chopped rosemary and flat-leaf parsley; Finely grated rind of ½ lemon and ½ orange; Orange and rosemary butter; 150 gm butter, softened; 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary; Finely grated rind of ½ orange (reserve orange for pan juices); Fig and mint salad; 8 figs, peeled (optional), halved; Juice each of 1 orange and 1 lemon; 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup (loosely packed) mint, coarsely chopped; 1½ golden shallots, shaved thinly on a mandolin

Prepare the turkey ahead so it’s ready for the oven on Christmas Day. Make sure the stuffing is completely cooled before using it and don’t leave the turkey out of the fridge for too long. After cooking, the turkey holds its heat for a good hour, which means it can be transported and still served warm, though it’s also delicious at room temperature. The buttered muslin keeps the turkey juicy and helps it to brown evenly – baste it regularly to ensure it doesn’t dry out and stick to the turkey; cover it with foil if it starts to brown too much.

Ingredients

1 free-range turkey (about 5kg)

To garnish: wild rocket leaves

Pistachio and rosemary stuffing

1 small onion, finely chopped

50 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

200 gm bread (such as ciabatta), torn

80 gm pistachio kernels

¼ cup each finely chopped rosemary and flat-leaf parsley

Finely grated rind of ½ lemon and ½ orange

Orange and rosemary butter

150 gm butter, softened

1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

Finely grated rind of ½ orange (reserve orange for pan juices)

Fig and mint salad

8 figs, peeled (optional), halved

Juice each of 1 orange and 1 lemon

50 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (loosely packed) mint, coarsely chopped

1½ golden shallots, shaved thinly on a mandolin

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. For pistachio and rosemary stuffing, sauté onion in oil in a saucepan over medium heat until translucent (8-12 minutes), then add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (1 minute). Set aside in a bowl to cool briefly. Process bread to coarse crumbs in a food processor, then add to onion mixture along with pistachios, herbs and rind, stir to combine, season to taste and set aside to cool completely.

2.For orange and rosemary butter, gently heat ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Place a large double-folded piece of muslin in the butter to soak it up and set aside.

3.Rinse turkey inside and out, pat dry with paper towels and season. Fill the cavity and neck pocket with pistachio and rosemary stuffing, folding the skin of the neck pocket underneath to seal. Tuck wings underneath, tie legs together with kitchen string, then transfer to a large roasting pan. Place butter-soaked muslin over the top and squeeze the juice of reserved orange over. Add 80ml water to pan and roast turkey, basting muslin regularly, until a meat thermometer inserted into the leg reads 75C-80C (3-3½ hours; cover turkey with foil if it becomes too brown). Set aside covered with foil to rest (30 minutes to 1 hour).

4.For fig and mint salad, arrange figs in a serving bowl. Whisk together juices and oil in a bowl, add mint and shallots, season to taste, then spoon over figs and serve with turkey on a bed of rocket.