A Christmas staple for most Christians around the world is the succulent stuffed turkey on Christmas Day.and more often enjoyed as the centrepiece of the Christmas Eve table.
The Greek version of stuffed turkey for Christmas leans more on the citrusy, gourmand-Asia Minor style boasting the aromas of orange, tangerine and lemon brought to life by the warmth of spices the likes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Some of the most delicious but least known Christmas recipes from Greece can compliment this classic while wowing your family and friends, courtesy of American author Nancy Gaifyllia who fell in love with Greece so hard she has been living there for over three decades exploring its regional culinary specialties.
Nancy developed an intimate relationship with traditional flavours and methods of cooking, by putting everything to practice on a daily basis. She is an avid collector of recipes, techniques, and cookbooks, and as a cook managing both a career and a family, she enjoys trying out new preparation methods suitable to the rhythms of the modern kitchen. Her love of cooking and eating led her to the kitchens and cookbooks of great Greek cooks and chefs throughout the country, and she has delved into all varieties of traditional Hellenic cuisine.
STUFFED TURKEY WITH CHESTNUT AND PINE NUTS
Ingredients:
1 whole turkey
1/2 kilo ground beef
1/2 kilo ground pork
1 cup chestnuts
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup tangerine juice
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon salt
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pomegranate for decoration
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 165C
2. Make a small incision on sides of each chestnut, and place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until toasted. Remove from heat, peel, and chop.
3. Melt 2/3 cup butter in a saucepan, and mix in the orange juice, tangerine juice, and lemon juice. Rub the turkey inside and out with the mixture, reserving some for basting. Season turkey with salt and pepper.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, ground pork, and onion until beef and pork are evenly brown and onion is tender. Drain grease. Mix in the rice. Stir in the chestnuts, pine nuts, raisins, 1/3 cup butter, broth, and brandy. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper with ground nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Continue cooking until all liquid has been absorbed. Stuff all turkey cavities with the mixture, and tie in place with kitchen twine.
5. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, and loosely cover breast and thighs with aluminum foil. Pour about 1/4 inch water into the bottom of the pan. Maintain this level of water throughout cook time. Roast turkey in the preheated oven 3 to 4 hours, brushing occasionally with remaining butter and juice mixture. Increase oven temperature to 200C during final hour of roasting, and remove foil. Cook turkey to a minimum internal temperature of 82C.
6. Take out the turkey and let cool for 10′. Place on a platter and decorate with the pomegranate seeds.
*Recipe: Neos Kosmos archive
YAPRAKIA
Ingredients:
1,5kg of beef (ground one time)
2 eggs (whole)
3/4 cups of rice (short-grain or risotto)
3 stalks of dill (fresh, snipped)
1 pinch of salt (sea)
1 pinch of pepper (freshly ground black)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3/4 cup of olive oil
1 onion (sliced in rings)
2 medium carrots (sliced in thick rounds)
2 stalks of celery (leaves only)
2 cabbages (total of 10 pounds)
For the avgolemono sauce:
5 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of water
7/8 cup of lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Method:
1. Mix the ground beef, two whole eggs, rice, dill, one of the onions, a little oil and water, and knead to mix thoroughly. Add more water or oil if needed. Form into 34-35 round pieces.
2. In a large soup pot, bring salted water to a boil. Remove the core of the cabbage, and stick a large fork into the center. Immerse the cabbage, leaving the fork in. When the outer leaves turn bright green, lift using the fork and remove softened leaves. Return to pot and repeat until all cabbage leaves have been removed.
3. Using the large outer leaves, place the meat mixture in the leaf and roll, using the same technique as for Rolling Grape Leaves.
4. Line the bottom of a lidded pot with the carrot slices, remaining onion, celery leaves, and the smaller cabbage leaves that were too small for rolling. Lay the stuffed cabbage rolls, fold side down, on top in snugly packed layers. Place an inverted plate on top to hold them down when cooking.
5. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil. When boil is reached, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
6. A few minutes before the cabbage is done, make the avgolemono sauce:
7. Whisk the egg yolks and a tablespoon of water. Stir in 1/2 cup of liquid from the pot, lemon juice, and corn starch, whisking until smooth. Remove cabbage from heat, remove the plate, and pour in the egg-lemon sauce. Hold pot by the handles and shake gently to distribute.
8. Serve warm with a few spoonfuls of the sauce over the cabbage.
*Recipe courtesy of Nancy Gaifyllia
CHRISTOPSOMO
Ingredients:
8 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast
1 cup of water (warm, 40 C)
1 cup of red wine (warm)
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of brandy
2 oranges (zested)
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of raisins
1 1/2 cups of walnuts (coarsely chopped)
1/3 cup of pine nuts
1 tablespoon of anise seed (crushed, or 1 tablespoon of grated gum mastic)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
1 teaspoon cloves (ground)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (ground)
For the Topping:
1 to 2 tablespoons of milk
2 whole walnuts (in shells)
Method:
1. Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and 2 tablespoons of flour, stir until dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes, until it bubbles.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift the salt with 2/3 of the flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture, the remaining warm water, and the wine. Mix until a soft dough forms, cover with waxed paper and a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in bulk.
3. Punch the dough down and knead for several minutes until any air pockets are gone. Sift in the remaining flour, add the oil, orange juice, brandy, and grated orange peel.
4. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, raisins, walnuts, pine nuts, gum mastic or anise, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg until blended, and add to the dough.
5. Knead well until the dough is firm and doesn’t stick (about 10 minutes), cover, and allow to rise for 1/2 hour. When the bread has risen, use the small pieces of dough to create a cross on top. If you wish, you can add even more Christmas related symbols.
6. On a lightly buttered baking pan, shape the bread into two circular loaves, about 8 inches in diameter. Cover with a dry cloth and a damp cloth over that, and place in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in size.
7. Using a floured knife, score a cross into the top of the loaves, and place one whole, unshelled walnut at the center. Brush the bread with milk and scatter with sesame seeds.
8. Place a pan with at least 1 inch of water in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 230 C. Place the bread in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pan with the water, reduce heat to 200 C and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, brush lightly with water, and cool on a rack.
*Recipe courtesy of Nancy Gaifyllia
