Pavo Navideño recipe

'Pavo Navideño' - Christmas Turkey recipe

'Pavo Navideño' or Christmas Turkey, try this recipe for a christmas turkey in Andalucia. Whilst the Andalucia tradition is Seafood at Christmas, turkey is becoming increasingly popular and is possible to purchase at supermarkets or by pre-ordering from local butchers. See our alternative to traditional stuffings below, with the simple placement of and Andalucian orange.

Ingredients:

• 1 5 - 6 kilos turkey ready to roast
• 10 slices of white bread
• 1 cup of water or wine
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 12 small green onions and one small leek, all finely chopped
• 6 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• ½ teaspoon of pepper
• 2 teaspoons of thyme, sage or tarragon (dried)
• 1 cup of soft butter or margarine
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 3 crushed cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons of breadcrumbs

Garnish:

• 2 Andalucia oranges
• 1 cup of blueberrys
• 4 sprigs of rosemary

Method:

How to make the stuffing:
Moisten the bread in the water (or wine) and let it soak for about three minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and mix the bread with the parsley, onions, leek, eggs, 2 teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and 2 teaspoons of your preferred herb for flavouring.

How to stuff the turkey:
Carefully separate the skin from the turkey, placing your hand in between the skin and the breast. Then, in the same way, separate the skin from the wings and legs.

Place the stuffing between the skin and the breast and then over the wings and legs.

A alternative to stuffing can be an Andalucian table orange, halved and added into the cavity, the juices penetrate the turkey and gives a succulent taste to the turkey, with a hint of Andalucian oranges.

Roasting the turkey:
Carefully set the now stuffed turkey, with the breast uppermost, in a shallow oven dish. Grease with the butter (or margarine) mixed with breadcrumbs and crushed garlic. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Place in a pre-heated oven of 375oF (190oC) for 45 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350oF (177oC) and roast for approximately three more hours. Baste with its own juices at least every 20 minutes. Can be served hot or allowed to cool to room temperature.

Garnishing the turkey:
Slice the two Andalucia oranges, wash and drain the fruit and prepare the sprigs of rosemary. Garnish the serving plate to create that perfect final touch.