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Will It Be Turkey Or Pork This Year?
Anywhere in the world, Christmas is
usually full of tradition, especially when it comes to food.
However, more and more countries are
turning to the turkey as the main course for Christmas dinner. For example,
in England, where the goose reigned supreme at holiday time for centuries,
the turkey has almost entirely winged him aside.
Even right here in our township, turkey
is increasing in popularity each year, with stores stocking up with both
fresh and frozen varieties. But the turkey is still a minority around
Crete, as pork is still the main dish in most Cretan households on Christmas
Day.
So, just to be on the safe side with our
readers, here are good ways to make either – or both – turkey or pork
Everyone has their own ways of cooking a
turkey, some even getting up at two in the morning to put the bird in the
oven if it is a very large one. However, the ones available here – either
fresh or frozen – are usually about 4 ½ kilos, which is a good size and does
not take as long to cook.
The all important trimmings which go
with the turkey are important too, such as the small sausages with a strip
of bacon wrapped around or, even more delicious, is some of the stuffing
rolled into a ball with a strip of bacon around it.
There are many different stuffings, and
they can either be cooked separately or stuffed into the turkey loosely from
the neck end. One of the Greek recipes for stuffing involves using the
giblets, minced lamb or beef, chopped boiled chestnuts, onions, wine,
tomatoes and boiled rice.
A different way is to put the stuffing
between the skin and meat so more flavour will go into the flesh and, as
turkey meat can sometimes be dry, more juice will be added if you make the
stuffing a bit sloppier than usual.
Another way of making sure the meat is
juicier is to cook it upside down for part of the time so the juices go into
the breast as it is cooking. Also, when you take it out of the oven you can
place it upside down to rest for about 30 minutes.
Below is a recipe we have used many
times for turkey and the orange butter adds a more fragrant flavour.
Merry Christmas and Happy Eating to everyone. |
TURKEY - Serves 10
4.5 to 6 kg turkey, thawed and giblets
removed either for stuffing or delicious giblet gravy
2 oranges
2-3 sprigs rosemary
60g butter
Salt and pepper
1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Wash the
turkey thoroughly and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Cut one of the oranges into quarters
and put inside the turkey with the rosemary. Also you can put stuffing in
loosely from the neck end, and secure the neck with a wooden skewer and tie
the legs together at the end of the drumsticks.
3. Grease a large roasting tin with
butter and put the turkey in. Melt the remaining butter. Halve the orange
and squeeze the juice of one half over the turkey and put the juice from the
other half into the butter.
4. Brush some of the orange butter over
the turkey and keep the rest for basting later.
5. Cover the turkey loosely with foil
and roast for the calculated time according to the weight which is 18
minutes per 450g or you can do it slower at a lower temperature.
We always start ours off upside down in
the tin and turn it back for the last 30 minutes with the foil off for the
skin to brown.
6. Every 45 minutes, or more often,
baste the turkey with the orange butter.
When cooked, leave the turkey to rest
covered with foil.
Pork
For a more traditional Cretan meal,
marinate overnight two kilos of pork loin with half a cup each of olive oil
and lemon juice, two teaspoons of oregano, salt, pepper and six cloves of
minced garlic. The next day, remove the pork, place in large pan and roast
with a little of the marinade, plus a glass of red wine (on the pork!) and
two spoons of water for about three hours on a low heat about 150°C.
Serve with Greek style roast potatoes
and a bottle of good red wine.
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