Baked turkey with chestnuts

seasoning turkey

thaw the turkey as instructed on the package.

the day before, wash the turkey, rub the lemon and salt in it to remove any smell it has. rinse it well.

mix the wine with the spices and let the turkey soak in this mixture for 24 hours, always in the refrigerator, turning every 4 hours.

preparing the filling

offal

remove the kids from the turkey and cut them into pieces. season with salt, pepper, the bay leaf. Reserve.

season the sausage meat with salt and pepper.

heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the turkey liver, leaving it brown on the outside but still pink inside (a minute or so). remove it with the slotted spoon, let it cool and chop it.

in the same pan add another spoon of oil and fry the chives for a few minutes. add the sausage meat and the other remaining giblets.

fry until almost cooked. when removing from heat heat the cognac in a metal shell (be careful not to get burned), light it and pour flaming over the meat to flambé.

add the chopped liver and, if necessary, a little more oil.

chestnuts

make a cut on the chestnuts on the more rounded side. place on a baking sheet with a little water and place in a hot preheated oven (220ºc) for 8 minutes.

peel the chestnuts while they are hot.

put the chestnuts in a pan with the celery, add enough chicken stock to cover and cook slowly.

remove from heat when the chestnuts are cooked but still firm. drain and mix them with the meat filling. separate some whole ones to decorate the dish.

stuffing and roasting the turkey

stuff the turkey carefully so as not to overfill the crop, then sew the cavities to hold the stuffing.

if farofa remains, it can be served later, together with the turkey.

clip the turkey's legs together, decorating, if you like, with cut paper, attached with a thread.

butter it all with butter, place it on the baking sheet, chatting up. cover the whole breast with slices of bacon.

water with half the vineyard d´alhos, passed through the sieve.

cover with aluminum foil and bake in a moderate oven (180º).

after an hour and a half, discover it, drizzle with the baking pan and return to the oven still covered. an hour later, discover it and leave until it takes on a dark golden tone, watering, every 15 minutes, with the broth of the pan.

if the broth dries out, add more of the vineyard d´alho, strained.

completion

when the turkey is roasted, remove the sewing thread, place it on a platter decorated with the rest of the filling and the whole nuts (and with your personal touch).

serve with white rice or almonds and applesauce.