Whole turkeys weight between 4 and 14 kilos. It is best to buy one of average weight, i.e. about 6 kilos, calculating half a kilo for each person. If frozen, let it dethaw for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator. After it’s properly defrosted, soak the turkey in a brine (sugar and salt solution) the evening before it will be roasted. The recipe calls for 1 cup coarse salt and 1/3 cup sugar for 4 liters of water. The salt cleanses the poultry from the blood and the sugar moderates the saltiness and helps it caramelize. The water must be cold or ice cold and you must set the turkey in brine in a cold place for 8 – 12 hours. Before cooking, rinse well and stuff.
Ingredients that are complementary in stuffing are firstly, bread (white, corn bread, yeast bread, or whole wheat) rice, apples, chestnuts, nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts), dried fruit (prunes, figs, apricots), vegetables – celery, onion, leek, mushrooms, chives and finally aromatics like fresh parsley, thyme, tarragon, sage, rosemary. Stuffing is commonly seasoned with pepper, allspice, clove and nutmeg.

How to make the stuffing

• Use stale bread or toast in the oven at 130ο C, for about 20 minutes, so that it dries up and the stuffing is fluffier.
• Lightly sauté the vegetables, leave them firm so that they do not wilt while baking.
• Mix stuffing ingredients and add one of the following to moisten: milk, broth, wine, melted butter, eggs.
• Concerning the giblets, I suggest not cooking the liver because it makes the gravy bitter, Just before roasting brush the skin all over with aromatic butter (4-8 tablespoons butter, depending on bird size, with finely chopped fresh aromatic herbs of your choice) and to further enhance its flavor, loosen the skin from the meat starting from the neck and spread butter underneath using your hand. This technique makes for a crunchier skin, a juicier and more aromatic meat.
• When stuffing the turkey, have the stuffing at room temperature rather than cold o cook more thoroughly. Baking time: Calculate about 15 minutes for every half kilo of meat.

Tips on proper roasting

• Stuff only ¾ of the cavity to prevent it from overflowing while cooking.
• You should not turn the turkey too many times in the pan. I recommend one or two times while turkey is roasting.
• Baste the turkey with its juices about very 20 minutes, letting it bake on its own for the last half hour, for a crispy skin.
• Let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. When carving, first cut the wings, then the thighs and lastly, detach the breast from the bone and slice.

Side dishes

• Caramelized onions
• Prunes and chestnuts
• Mashed potatoes (with pumpkin, optional)
• Celery root
• Rice
• Stuffing

Once the turkey has roasted, strain the pan drippings to prepare the gravy.
An easy and quick way to pass it through a sieve and thicken it with flour or corn flour mixed with water and reheat mixing in a few fresh, finely chopped aromatic herbs. For more flavour you can add a splash of Mavrodaphne wine or dried mushrooms.