Cooking
/ Roasting free range farm fresh Xmas Turkeys.
Bronze
or White Turkey - what's the difference ?
Like
red and white wine or brown and white eggs the choice
between Bronze or White turkey is a matter of personal
taste. The meat from Bronze turkeys is a shade darker
than White and has a slight "gamey" taste with
lots of natural juices. Not only are Bronze turkeys prettier
to look at when grazing in the field, they are much rarer
and not bred for mass production.
On
the other hand John Wright's White turkeys are also free
range and have a delicate flavour more suited to those
who always prefer the white turkey meat on Christmas day.
John
is always ready to give advice on storing, preparing and
cooking your turkey. Alternatively a variety of delicious
recipes and oven roasting information supplied by the Traditional Farmfresh Turkey Association, are shown below for main meals or for turkey left overs. Turkey breast is an excellent cold meat served with salad or baked potatoes.
| Celebration Turkey Mayonnaise |
Good knob of butter
1 small onion chopped
Half a clove of garlic
1 tblsp tomato puree
Half level tsp curry powder
2 tblsp lemon juice
2 tblsp apricot jam
Half pt mayonnaise
About 1lb cooked turkey cut into bite sized pieces
8oz mixed green and black grapes seeded and halved
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1oz flaked almonds toasted
Watercress or parsley to garnish |
Melt butter and cook garlic and onion until soft. Add tomato puree, curry powder, 1tblsp lemon juice and apricot jam and bring to boil, stirring all the time. Puree the mixture in a blender. Transfer to a bowl, add mayonnaise and turkey and chill overnight in a refrigerator.
Toss grapes in remaining lemon juice and stir into turkey mayonnaise. Check seasoning. Place in serving dish, sprinkle with almonds, and garnish with parsley or watercress. |
| Turkey
Tetrazzini |
2½
oz butter
Juice of half a lemon
8oz sliced button mushrooms
2oz flour
1 pt turkey or chicken stock
10 fl oz single cream
2 tblsp dry sherry
1 lb cooked green tagliatelle
12oz chopped cooked turkey
1oz fresh breadcrumbs
1oz Parmesan cheese |
Melt
1oz of butter, add lemon juice and fry mushrooms for
5 minutes. Melt remaining butter in a pan, stir in
flour and the stock. Cook for 2 minutes. Take off
the heat, fold in cream, sherry and seasoning. Add
15fl oz of the sauce with the mushrooms to the tagliatelle.
Pour into an ovenproof dish. Mix the turkey into remaining
sauce and spoon over. Sprinkle with crumbs and cheese.
Bake at Gas Mark 5 / 190°C / 375°F for 30/40 minutes.
|
| Turkey
Puff Parcels |
|
½
lb chopped cooked turkey
4 tbsp chestnut puree
3oz chopped button mushrooms
1½ oz butter
1 lb puff pastry
beaten egg
salt and freshly ground pepper
|
Mix
turkey, puree and seasoning. Fry mushrooms in butter
until soft and add to mixture. Allow to cool. Roll
out pastry thinly and cut into twelve 4 inch squares.
Divide mixture amongst squares, dampen pastry edges
and fold to form triangles. Pinch edges to seal and
glaze with egg. Bake at 205°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6
for 15-20 minutes until golden. - Serves 4 |
| Turkey
& Vegetable Gratin |
2lb
potatoes peeled and cubed
½ lb leeks sliced
1lb small Brussels sprouts halved
1 onion sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lb cooked turkey cut into chunks 2oz butter
4oz Stilton cheese
Salt and pepper |
Par-boil
the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, then add the leeks
and Brussels sprouts, boiling for a further 5 minutes
until tender. Fry the onion in olive oil until golden,
then add the turkey and heat through. Set aside in
a warm place. Drain and roughly mash the vegetables
using half the butter, and season to taste. Grease
a shallow oven proof dish with the remaining butter
and spread the mashed vegetables in an even layer.
Cover this with the turkey and onion, before topping
with the crumbled Stilton. Place under a pre-heated
grill until the cheese melts and the topping just
browns a little. |
| Turkey
& Avocado Salad |
3
ripe avocados
orange juice
2 small peppers (1 red and 1 green)
1 tbsp Worcester
sauce
½ lb diced cooked turkey
2 tbsps mayonnaise
salt,
freshly ground black pepper paprika watercress |
Halve
avocados lengthways, remove stones and brush flesh
with orange juice.
Mix turkey meat, Worcester sauce, mayonnaise, a small
amount of finely chopped peppers and seasoning.
Use the mixture to fill avocados and garnish with
the remaining peppers, cut into strips.
Serve chilled on a bed of watercress. |
| Oriental
Turkey |
1
dstsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tblsps hoisin sauce
2 tblsps sesame seed oil
1 dstsp grated fresh root ginger 450g (1lb) cooked
turkey meat cut into strips
2 tblsps light soy sauce
2 tblsps sunflower oil
6 spring onions cut into short lengths 2 tblsps sherry
175g (6oz) mange tout
1 red and 1 yellow pepper cut into thin strips
100g (4oz) bean sprouts |
Mix
chilli sauce, hoisin sauce, sherry, sesame seed oil
and ginger together and combine with the turkey.
Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or frying pan and,
when it is almost smoking, stir-fry the vegetables
for about 2 minutes.
Add the turkey with the marinade and stir-fry for
another 2 minutes. .
Add the soy sauce, mix well and serve with rice. |
| Turkey
Pasta Salad |
Diced
Cooked turkey
Pasta bows (cooked and cooled)
Tin pineapple (drained and cut into chunks)
Seedless green grapes (halved)
Few chopped spring onions
Cashew nuts (best to use raw ones and fry in a saucepan
with a very little oil turning all the time as they
burn easily!)
Dressing: Mayonnaise (about 1 tablespoon per person)
Reduced fat creme fraiche (about 1 dessertspoon per
person)
Wholegrain mustard to taste (although you can use
horseradish mustard)
Cajun seasoning to taste |
Mix
all the dressing ingredients together.
Add turkey, fruit, onions and pasta.
Serve on salad leaves with nuts and extra cajun seasoning
sprinkled on top. |
| Turkey Fricasse |
3oz butter or turkey dripping
2 onions thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic chopped
2 leeks thinly sliced
6 bacon rashers chopped
4oz sliced mushrooms
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
6 tblsp flour
1pt turkey or chicken stock
15 fl oz milk
2 tblsp raisins
1½-2lbs chopped turkey
|
Melt butter in a large pan and fry onions, garlic, leeks and bacon until golden. Add mushrooms and fry for 2 more minutes. Stir in curry powder and flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly add stock and milk until well blended. Simmer gently for 1 minute, then add turkey, raisins and seasoning and simmer for further 15 minutes.
Goes well with: – brown rice mixed with cashew nuts. |
'Ordinary'
TURKEYS
The
majority of birds are killed as ‘teenagers’ (about 8-12
weeks), having been grown very quickly and cheaply. As
a result, the flesh is effectively ‘stretched’ and has
no fat cover, resulting in meat that is often dry and
coarse. John Wright's Golden Promise Turkeys live 3 times
longer, to full adult maturity, and are never given anti-biotics
or additives for growth promotion.
• The majority of fresh turkeys will taste no better than
a standard frozen or fresh-frozen turkey as they are usually
the same age and produced in the same way. The only difference
is the way they have been stored. To ensure you get a
great tasting turkey, look out for the Golden Promise
logo, which guarantees traditional production methods.
Storing a TURKEY
Remove all packaging as soon as possible after receiving your turkey and store it in a cool place, the bottom of a refridgerator is ideal. Remove the giblets if they are inside and keep them somewhere cool also. The bird is best cooked within two to three days of purchase. How to COOK
a TURKEY
The Golden Promise method should help you produce a truly tasty turkey with especially succulent breast meat. Remember that the white breast meat cooks more quickly than the dark, denser meat of the legs and wings, so it is best to cook your turkey breast side down to start with. This should keep the juices in the breast and prevent it from becoming too dry. Another tip for even cooking is to loosen the trussing. If you decide to stuff your turkey, prepare your favourite stuffing recipe, fill the neck cavity only. Do not stuff the body cavity as it affects the cooking process, you may put a large Bramley apple or peeled onion into the body cavity.
Sprinkle the bird with salt and pepper then place it breast side down (covered with foil if you prefer) in a roasting tin. The oven should be pre-heated to 230°C/450°F/Gas mark 8 and the bird cooked at this temperature for 30 to 60 minutes depending on size, before reducing the heat to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.
About 30 minutes before the end of cooking (see table below for suggested total times), open the foil if used and turn the bird onto its back to brown the breast. Do try to avoid over-cooking. Test with a fork on the inside of the thigh - the bird is ready when the juices run clear. After cooking, allow the turkey to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then carve.
Suggested Cooking Times (approximate, ovens vary greatly) |
Oven Ready Weight |
Total Cooking Time |
| Kilos |
lbs |
Without Foil
Hrs Mins |
With Foil
Hrs Mins |
| 3.0 |
6.6 |
1.20 |
2.15 |
| 4.0 |
8.8 |
1.50 |
2.35 |
| 5.0 |
11.0 |
2.10 |
2.55 |
| 6.0 |
13.2 |
2.30 |
3.15 |
| 7.0 |
15.4 |
2.50 |
3.40 |
| 8.0 |
17.6 |
3.10 |
4.00 |
| 9.0 |
19.8 |
3.30 |
4.25 |
| 10.0 |
22.0 |
3.50 |
4.45 |
| 11.0 |
24.2 |
4.00 |
5.00 |
| |
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Carving your Turkey
You will find the following sequence makes for easy carving:
1> Hold the leg by the end knuckle, cut close to the body and twist off. Carve this dark leg meat.
2> Similarly remove the wing and cut in half.
3> Slice the breast meat from one side.
4> Repeat for the other side. Enjoy
your Roast Christmas Turkey
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