recipes

christmas turkey with native bush herbs and quandong ragout

[Image - turkey and vegetables] Photo: David Mitchener
Photo: David Mitchener
Around November be ready to pre-order a prized free-range or organic turkey. The meat is renowned for its succulent and distinct flavour, achievable only with birds that have been ranged free to forage on a varied diet of natural organic pasture and organic grains.

Partner the turkey with native bush herbs, plums and berries for an authentic Australian dish. You can complement this theme in your floral design, Christmas crackers and pud. Just look around for some bright red bottle brush flowers and robust native green sprigs - whatever's in your garden. They make great centrepieces for the table and look great with a sprig laid alongside cutlery on a crisp white table napkin. Pop a packet of native herbs into Christmas crackers or go native with your gifts - a mountain pepper or lemon myrtle seedling for every guest. Even add some native berries to your Christmas pud.

Ingredients (serves six)
1 x2 kg organic turkey

stuffing
60g shallots (cocktail onions), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
100g button mushrooms, diced to 3mm
40g butter
240ml full cream unhomogenised milk
150g whole grain wheat bread, diced to 5mm
50g pine nuts, toasted
Pinch lemon zest, finely grated
4 tsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ tspoon thyme and marjoram, chopped
4 eggs
100g chicken liver, cleaned and diced to 3mm
100g chicken meat, minced
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Olive oil, for roasting

method

  1. Cook shallots, garlic and mushrooms in butter until golden brown.
  2. Add milk and bring to boil.
  3. Pour hot milk over bread; add pine nuts, lemon zest, parsley, thyme and marjoram.
  4. Mix together and chill.
  5. Remove from fridge, add eggs, liver, minced meat and seasoning.
  6. Put the stuffing into the turkey, sow the cavity together with butcher's string.
  7. Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
  8. Brush turkey with butter and oil. Roast until golden brown (about 20 minutes). Reduce heat to 180 degrees Celsius, then cover with foil.
  9. Cook until the centre of the turkey reaches 90 degrees Celsius. (Test stuffing with a skewer, should be dry. Test flesh with skewer, should be no juices.).
  10. Remove foil and roast until skin is crispy. Remove from oven and serve on a platter with vegetable ragout.

Total cooking time about 1.5 hours, less for fan forced ovens.

vegetable ragout

1 cup raisins
4 cups Muscat wine
150g butter
30 shallots, peeled
30 turnip pieces
30 carrot pieces
30 quandong halves (native plum)
1 tblspoon mountain pepper berries
1 tblspoon lemon myrtle, ground
3 tblspoon coriander, chopped
1 cup Juniper Green Organic London Dry Gin
Juice of two lemons
Salt and fresh ground pepper

method

  1. Soak raisins in Muscat.
  2. Caramelise vegetables in some butter, add raisins and Muscat, together with quandong and mountain pepper berries. Reduce to a thick consistency.
  3. Whisk the rest of the butter into the vegetables and add lemon myrtle, coriander, gin, lemon juice and seasonings. Serve immediately.

Total cooking time about ½ hour.

moroccan beef tagine with coriander yoghurt

Photo: Sharon Anderson
Photo: Sharon Anderson
This fantastic Autumn dish uses an affordable organic meat cut, resulting in a very tasty dish that even the kids will love.

For best results, marinate the meat overnight prior to cooking. Cook at a low temperature as this helps maximise nutrient values and flavours. The dish can be cooked a few days in advance, refrigerated, then reheated. Serve with cous cous.

Serves 4-6

Tagine
2.75kg beef or lamb shin (without bone) untrimmed, or 2kg trimmed
2 tablespoons palm fruit oil or coconut oil
1 onion peeled, diced to 1cm cubes
1 large carrot, diced to 1cm cubes
3 celery stalks, diced to 1cm cubes
½ head garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 pinch cinnamon powder
2 pinches saffron threads
¼ tablespoon preserved lemon
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 dates, stone removed, quartered
3 dried figs, quartered
3 dried apricots, quartered
1 handful almonds
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 litre Original Foods™ organic chicken or vegetable stock
½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
½ bunch coriander leaves, picked and washed
½ bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
1 cup yoghurt
Cous cous for 4-6 people

Method

  1. Trim meat of all fat and cut into 3cm cubes
  2. Heat oil in a large pan, add meat and brown on all sides
  3. Place meat into a large dish, add vegetables and spices, stir thoroughly, cover with wrap and marinate overnight in the fridge
  4. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  5. Into a casserole dish, combine meat, vegetables, spices, fruit, almonds, tomato juice and stock
  6. Bring to the boil on stovetop, then bake 3-4 hours until meat is tender. Remove casserole from oven
  7. Stir through ½ bunch chopped coriander, transfer to serving dish
  8. Garnish: mix yoghurt with washed coriander leaves and spring onions and place on top of meat dish or serve separately
  9. Serve with cous cous on the side