Stuffed Turkey Breast with Farinheira and Chestnuts

Introduction

Nothing screams “Christmas” more than turkey. Chestnuts, on the other hand, are something I strongly associate with cold weather, calling for comfort. So why not combine them in a single dish? In this Christmas stuffed turkey recipe, the meat is fully cooked but never dry! To accompany it, a saffron pilaf and a sophisticated yet simple endive and orange salad are essential.

Instructions

Stuffing

1. Prepare the chestnuts. Score a deep X on the surface of the chestnuts with a knife. Drop them into a pot of already boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove and peel the chestnuts, reserving the water.

2. Prepare the ingredients. Remove the skin from the farinheira and chop the onion and garlic. Peel and dice the apple into not-too-small cubes. Place it in cold water with a few drops of lemon juice to prevent oxidation.

3. Blanch the spinach. Use the boiling chestnut water to submerge the spinach for 15 seconds. Remove them immediately into a bowl of ice water.

4. Stuffing sauté. Drizzle olive oil into an already hot frying pan. Sauté the onion and, when translucent, add the garlic. Let it develop flavour and add the farinheira and most of the chestnuts, roughly broken. Add the apple as well. Let everything soften and caramelise slightly. Season with fleur de sel, pepper and nutmeg, letting everything reduce a little more.

5. Finish the stuffing. Fold the spinach into the sauté and turn off the heat.

Roast Turkey

6. Prepare the turkey. Preheat the oven to 220°. Butterfly the turkey, opening it evenly without tearing it. Pound it with a meat mallet into a rectangular shape.

7. Season. Generously coat the surface facing you with salt, pepper and paprika.

8. Stuff and roll. Stuff lengthwise with the farinheira mixture. Roll tightly, as if making a roulade. If any stuffing falls out, push it back in. Wrap the turkey breast in cheesecloth and tie several lengths of kitchen twine along the entire roll, forming a ballotine.

9. Baste with butter. Add a generous pinch of salt to the butter and mix. Baste the turkey over its entire surface.

10. Prepare the roasting dish. Peel an onion and cut it into thick rounds. Roughly chop the celery and peel a carrot, cutting it coarsely. Spread the vegetables and sage in a large ovenproof dish.

11. Roast. Place the turkey breast on top of the vegetables in the dish. Cut thick orange rounds and place them on top of the turkey to prevent the surface from browning too much. Drizzle with white wine. Roast for 1 hour.

12. Finish. After that time, discard the orange rounds and return to the oven to brown for another 20 minutes, until the surface takes on a caramelised colour.

Serving

Slice the turkey into rounds. Serve two portions on each plate, alongside which you should place a spoonful of saffron pilaf. On the opposite side of each plate, rest a leaf of the endive and orange salad. Gently drizzle the meat with the sauce left in the roasting dish.