Miso-Buttered Turkey with Sourdough and Mushroom Stuffing
Bread stuffing is always a favourite option for turkey; here it is elevated using Wild Wheat sourdough and confit of garlic. Dried mushrooms add richness. We’ve used black trumpets, a French mushroom known for its sweet, rich flavour, but dried porcini or shiitake would also work well.
Ingredients
Sourdough stuffing:
4 Heads garlic
Olive oil
15g Dried black trumpet mushrooms (or use dried porcini or shiitake)
1 Loaf Wild Wheat white sourdough, ideally a few days old
2 Tbsp thyme leaves
1/2 Cup parsley leaves, chopped
Turkey and gravy:
3 Tbsp Urban Hippie white miso
150g butter softened
1 whole turkey (size 4)
2 Tbsp flour
250ml Farro Chicken Stock
Method
Cut the top off the garlic heads and cook in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes. Drain well and remove any loose skins. Put into a small pot so the garlic heads fit snuggly. Cover with olive oil, (approx 1-2 cups) and simmer gently over a very low heat until tender, around 30 min. Cool before using and reserve the olive oil. This can be done a few days ahead, keep refrigerated
Set aside 2 heads of garlic for garnishing. Squeeze out the remaining garlic cloves from the skins and roughly mash (if you like, you can reuse the skins, simmering with chicken stock to add flavour to the gravy)
Pour 1 cup boiling water over the mushrooms and set aside for 20 minutes to soften, drain and reserve the liquid and roughly chop mushrooms
Remove and discard crusts from sourdough and cut loaf into 3cm cubes. In a frying pan, add some of the reserved garlic olive oil to the pan and, in batches, brown the sourdough cubes lightly, then put into a bowl with the mashed garlic
Heat more of the garlic oil, add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, add the mushroom liquid and reduce down until . cup of liquid is left. Cool and mix through the bread, adding a little extra oil, if necessary, to coat the mix well. Mix through the thyme and parsley and season generously. Set aside until ready to use (this can be done a day ahead)
To cook turkey, preheat the oven to 180C. Mix together miso and butter and set aside. Loosen the skin under the turkey breast and smear the butter between the skin and the flesh. Brush some of the reserved garlic oil in the body and neck cavities, then stuff with the filling. Don’t overpack the stuffing; any remaining stuffing can be wrapped in foil and cooked in the oven in the last hour of cooking time
Fold the wings behind the turkey body and secure the legs with string. Brush liberally all over with garlic oil and season well
Put into a roasting dish and cook for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 160C, baste with cooking juices, and cook for a further 1. - 2 hours, basting with the pan juices now and then until the timer pops (if the turkey has one) or, if using a thermometer, until the temperature reaches 72C, or until the juices run clear when cut with a knife at the thickest part. Put the turkey into a warmed dish and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving
To make the gravy, pour juices from roasting pan into a jug and set aside. Put the pan on the stove and gently heat; sprinkle with flour and scrape up all the bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the flour is golden. Pour the cooking juices back in slowly, stirring in. Whisk in the chicken jus and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 10 minutes or until lightly thickened. Servewarm with rested, carved turkey and stuffing