Has this recipe been in your family for a long time?
Yeah, it’s been passed down the generations, and is very Scottish.
Do you have a secret stuffing or have you made tweaks to the recipe here and there?
I’ve tweaked this one by adding pistachios to it. So it’s beef, Parmesan and pistachios, with caramelised red onions and mushrooms. The nuts are a Middle Eastern influence. I guess after living here for seven years I’ve picked up a thing or two. I’ve played around with the stuffing in the past – last year I used apricots.
So you've had plenty of practice at festive hosting?
Yes, I always host a big gathering for Christmas. All my friends here are from different cultures, so many of them had never experienced big Christmas dinners where turkey was the main course, prior to eating it at my place.
INGREDIENTS
Turkey
Salt Rub
Beef pistachio parmesan stuffing
METHOD
- 1
Fry the beef, onions and mushrooms with the butter until soft. Then take off the heat and add mustard, Worcester sauce, passata, black pepper, egg, breadcrumbs and mix together. Then add the pistachios, Parmesan, thyme and parsley, making sure all is well mixed. Set aside.
- 2
Mix the butter and spices together to form a paste.
- 3
Take the turkey out of the fridge and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Spread the salt rub liberally all over a clean, dry, patted-down turkey. Fill the turkey with the prepared stuffing, beginning with the neck. Place the turkey in a large ovenproof dish with tin foil over it, ensuring you baste it every 20 minutes to keep it moist and succulent. When the juices from the turkey start filling the dish, take some out and keep for the gravy for later. To test if cooked, juices shouldn’t be pink. When cooked, wait 20 minutes before carving.
