When reading the suggestions from ‘Wine diet’ book, I suddenly had an urge to think whether there would be one dish that incorporates all of the main ingredients and creates a good match for wine as well.
Thinking about a tannic red, and potentially abstaining from red meat it leaves us with poultry or white meat game. The ingredients for the dish are nuts, cranberries, loads of veg and garlic.
Are you with me on the fact that it starts to resemble a magnificent Christmas lunch or dinner? Is it that bad then in terms of health? Probably not, just think about the quantities obviously.
I want to share my own turkey recipe that goes down a treat usually (and incorporates all major wine diet components apparently!)
First question is whether to brine or not to brine your bird. I used to just take the bird out of the fridge before cooking, so it is not cold, but just room temperature, but this year was curious to find out whether it would make a difference if I brine it. After reading a few articles by the well-known chefs, I was still unconvinced, because it seemed that in general it aids to your dish in terms of herby and spicy notes and juiciness, but there was not a straightforward recommendation like ‘surely, do it!’. It is very plausible that the difference goes down to a personal taste, or, shall I add here, how skilled you are in turkey roasting!
So this year I have been brining it for almost 24 hours (as the bird was almost 5 kgs) and I must say I do like it slightly better this way, as the flavours are still there, yet it is moist and juicy.
Someone told me a long time ago that the next big thing is how well you do the stuffing. Here goes my ingredients for it: saute some onions and garlic, add chopped (peeled and cored as well) apples, add some sausagemeat to it, and after a bit of browning – make sure your onions are garlic are not burnt though – you can add chopped walnuts and cranberries. Wait until they pop and juices starting to coat your mixture. After that you can go all in with the cider – pick a dry or medium dry one, so it gives a bit of punch to the stuffing. Simmer for a few minutes and then it’s ok to add some oatmeal (pick a good one, preferably organic) to thicken your stuffing a bit.
I usually make quite a lot of it, so I end up stuffing the bird, and having some leftovers to be rolled like a sausage and baked covered in foil. The latter will be on a diet side as no juices or fat will be added from turkey.
To finish this healthy feast prep off, just cut the veg into big chunks and add good quality olive oil (or a healthier rapeseed oil) together with some herbs.
It is a very simple recipe and you do not need to employ any difficult culinary techniques to achieve greatness. Just be confident in your cooking skills!
