Pavo Relleno a la Catalana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy roasting pan at least 40 x 30cm
• •Sturdy roasting rack
• •Large frying pan
• •Instant-read or probe thermometer
• •Kitchen string
• •Shallow tray for cooling the filling
• •Small baking dish, about 20cm
• •Large carving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the turkey

   Check both cavities for the neck and giblets, then pat the turkey completely dry; don’t rinse it. Mix 30g salt with 5g pepper and rub it over the skin and inside both cavities. Refrigerate uncovered while you prepare and cool the filling, at least 45 minutes. For deeper seasoning, do this up to 12 hours ahead.

   Keep the turkey refrigerated while the filling cools. A stuffed bird should go straight from filling to oven, not sit about on the counter.
2. 2

   Build the sofregit

   Toast the pine nuts in a large dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until pale gold, then tip them onto a plate. Add the olive oil and onions to the pan. Cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is dark gold, soft and jammy. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. This is the sofregit, the slow Catalan onion base; don’t hurry it.

3. 3

   Cook the filling

   Raise the heat to medium. Add the pork mince and botifarra, breaking them into small pieces, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until no pink remains. Pour in the vi ranci and scrape up the browned juices. Let it reduce for about 3 minutes, until almost no liquid remains. Add the prunes, apricots, raisins and apple, then cook for 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Finish and cool

   Fold in the bread, 120ml stock, parsley, cinnamon, toasted pine nuts, the remaining 5g salt and 2g pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the bread has absorbed the liquid and the mixture is moist without being wet. Spread it no deeper than 2cm on a clean tray and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes, until cold. Don’t leave the pork filling to cool slowly in its pan.

5. 5

   Fill the bird

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 220°C conventional or 200°C fan, 425°F. Spoon 900g to 1kg of cold filling loosely into the main cavity and, if the neck skin allows, up to 150g into the neck end. Never press it down; the filling must have room for hot air to move through it. Tie the legs loosely with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips beneath the bird.

   Grease a small baking dish with 10g of the lard and put any remaining filling in it. Cover and refrigerate it until the final 45 minutes of roasting.
6. 6

   Start it hot

   Rub the remaining 70g lard evenly over the skin. Set the turkey breast-side up on the roasting rack. Pour 280ml stock and the white wine into the pan beneath it, then add the bay leaves. Roast for 25 minutes without opening the door. This first hard heat begins the deep bronze skin before the gentler cooking starts.

7. 7

   Lower and baste

   Lower the oven to 165°C conventional or 145°C fan, 325°F. After 45 minutes, spoon the pan juices over the breast, legs and wings. Repeat every 45 minutes, no more often. If the bottom of the pan threatens to dry, add hot water in 100ml measures. Once the skin is a deep chestnut gold, cover the breast loosely with foil. A bird this size usually needs 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 45 minutes in total, but begin checking after 3 hours.

8. 8

   Bake extra filling

   During the final 45 minutes, put the covered dish of extra filling in the oven. Bake it covered for 30 minutes, uncover it for the final 15 minutes, and check that its centre reaches 74°C. The top should be lightly browned while the inside remains moist.

9. 9

   Prove it is done

   Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, the inner thigh without touching bone, and the centre of the cavity stuffing. The breast and stuffing must both reach 74°C, and the thigh should reach 76°C. If the skin is ready before the centre, keep the foil in place and continue roasting. Pésalo, no lo adivines applies to temperature too.

10. 10

    Rest the turkey

    Transfer the turkey to a large platter, keeping it level so the cavity juices stay inside. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 40 minutes. Don’t shorten the rest; the juices settle back through the meat, and carving becomes cleaner. Remove the string before serving.

11. 11

    Reduce the juices

    Strain the roasting-pan liquid into a saucepan and skim off most of the fat. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes, until reduced to about 400ml and full-flavoured, then add the juices collected on the resting platter. Taste before adding salt because the turkey drippings already carry plenty. Spoon the cavity filling into a serving dish, carve the turkey, and serve the reduced juices alongside.

Chef Tips

• •Buy a turkey between 5 and 5.5kg for this recipe. A much larger bird is harder to cook evenly and may not fit comfortably in an ordinary roasting pan. If frozen, allow about three full days for it to thaw in the refrigerator.
• •Fresh botifarra is a mild Catalan pork sausage. Far from Catalonia, use plain fresh pork sausage without smoke, fennel or strong herbs. You’ll lose some of the regional seasoning, but not the moist texture the sausage gives the filling.
• •Vi ranci has an aged, nutty flavour. Dry oloroso is the closest widely available substitute. If neither is sold where you are, use 50ml brandy mixed with 25ml dry white wine; the result will be brighter and less rounded.
• •Pine nuts belong here, but they can be dear. Replace them with 60g blanched almonds, toasted and roughly chopped. The filling will have a firmer bite, which is the honest change.
• •Basting seasons and lacquers the skin. It doesn’t tell you whether the centre is cooked. Use a thermometer in the breast, thigh and stuffing, because a stuffed bird has three separate places that must be checked.
• •Serve this with roast potatoes and onions or a sharply dressed winter salad. A dry Cava from Penedès suits the fruit and pork in the filling; a young Garnatxa works if the table wants red wine.
• •Remove leftover stuffing from the cavity within two hours of serving. Refrigerate the meat, stuffing and sauce separately for up to three days, then reheat each to 74°C.

Advance Preparation

• •A frozen 5 to 5.5kg turkey needs about three days to thaw safely in the refrigerator. Keep it wrapped and set it on a tray to catch any liquid.
• •The filling can be cooked, spread on a shallow tray, cooled quickly and refrigerated in a sealed container up to 24 hours ahead.
• •The turkey can be salted and refrigerated uncovered up to 12 hours before roasting. This seasons the meat and helps the skin dry enough to colour well.
• •Never fill the turkey the night before. Keep the bird and stuffing cold and separate, then fill it only when the oven is fully heated and roast it immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 380g)