Any month is a great month for giving thanks. But the greatest Thanksgiving is one which has become a marketer’s dream of stuffed turkeys, pumpkins and plenty of pie.
GLAZED WHOLE TURKEY
For the glaze:
3 tbspns vegetable oil
1 tspn ground black pepper
2 white onions, chopped
60ml olive oil
1 tbspns chives, chopped
450g whole cranberry sauce, canned
250ml vegetable stock
125ml soy sauce
60ml orange juice
60ml white vinegar
100g caster sugar
2 tbspns fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tbspns garlic, chopped
2 tspns orange zest, grated
1 whole turkey, large
3 tbspns corn flour
For the stuffing:
200g white rice, cooked
200g wild rice, cooked
60g dried cranberries
50g walnuts, chopped and roasted
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 tbspn small chives, chopped
1 tbspn olive oil
• Place the vegetable oil into a saucepan and heat. Add the onions and cook until coloured.
• Blend the cranberry sauce, vegetable stock, soy sauce, orange juice, white vinegar, ginger, garlic and orange zest in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add the cooked onions, black pepper and chives.
• Place turkey into a large plastic bag and pour half the glaze over the turkey and into the cavity. Seal the bag and refrigerate turkey overnight.
• Dissolve the corn flour in the remaining half of the glaze and refrigerate in a
covered container.
• Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius.
• Remove turkey from marinade; discard the used marinade. Set turkey onto a rack inside a roasting pan.
• Make the filling by mixing the white rice, wild rice, dried cranberries, walnuts, onions, chopped chives and olive oil in a bowl.
• Lightly stuff the turkey cavity with the rice mixture.
• Roast the turkey in the preheated oven.
• Baste the turkey skin with olive oil every 20 minutes for about two hours.
• Stir the reserved glaze containing cornstarch thoroughly and baste turkey every 20 minutes until glaze has baked onto turkey for a further two hours.
• Check the thickest part of the turkey by cutting it and checking if the liquid runs clear. Serve hot.
SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP
500g spinach, frozen, thawed and chopped
300g artichoke hearts, tinned
250ml water
180g cream cheese
60g sour cream
60g mayonnaise
2 tbspns Parmesan cheese, grated
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 tspns garlic powder
• Boil spinach and artichokes in water until tender. Drain. Discard liquid.
• Heat cream cheese in microwave until hot and soft.
• Remove the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and add the sour cream and mayonnaise, parmesan cheese and garlic powder.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and finally fold in the cooked spinach and artichoke hearts.
• Whisk everything together. Serve warm in a bowl with corn chips.
BUTTERNUT PUMPKIN SOUP
2 tbspns butter, at room temperature
2 tbspns extra-virgin olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 1/2 kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1cm cubes
1 1/2 ltrs water
2 vegetable stock cubes
2 tbspns basil, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
• To make the tomato sauce, put the chopped tomatoes and tomato pure?e into a pan and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes to boil off the liquid.
• Strain the resulting sauce, taste it and adjust the flavour with salt and pepper. Cool before using.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• On a foil-covered baking sheet, place the first large piece of kuboos bread. Brush it with the beaten egg completely, and then top with the second piece of kuboos.
• Spread a thick layer of tomato sauce over the top, and then sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and all the toppings. Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella cheese before baking in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove the pizza from the oven. Cut and serve.
