1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2-14 ounce cans chicken broth
1-1/4 cups orzo pasta
2 medium red pears, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons dried sage leaves
3 tablespoons dried savory leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons whole white or black peppercorns
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1- 10 to 12-pound turkey
Cooking oil or olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Chicken broth or water
Salt and pepper (optional)
Autumn fruits such as pears, crab apples, and lady apples, and
assorted fresh herbs, such as tricolor sage, sage, or bay laurel
(optional)
Rinse and drain rice. In a medium saucepan cook rice in the
margarine or butter over medium heat for 2 minutes. Carefully
add the 2 cans chicken broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the orzo; return to
boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes more
or until rice is tender. Stir in pears, hazelnuts, green onion,
raisins, and ginger. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
F. In a clean, dry blender container combine sage, savory,
peppercorns, celery salt, and paprika. Cover and blend until
coarsely ground. Set aside.
Lightly spoon pear stuffing
into neck and body cavities. Pull neck skin of turkey to back
and fasten with a skewer. If a band of skin crosses the tail,
tuck the ends of the drumsticks under band. If there is no band,
tie drumsticks to the tail. Twist wing tips under the back.
Place any remaining stuffing in a casserole; cover and chill.
Brush turkey with cooking
oil or olive oil. Rub ground herb mixture over entire bird. If
desired, loosen skin from breast and rub mixture over meat under
breast skin to infuse greater flavor from rub into meat.
Place bird, breast side up,
on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer
into the center of one of the inside thigh muscles. (The bulb
should not touch the bone.) Cover turkey loosely with foil.
Roast for 2-1/4 hours. Cut the band of skin or string between
the drumsticks so the thighs will cook evenly. Continue roasting
for 3/4 to 1-1/4 hours more, or until thermometer registers 180
degrees F and stuffing registers 165 degrees F. Uncover the last
30 minutes of roasting. Bake any remaining stuffing, covered,
the last 45 minutes of turkey roasting. Remove from oven. Cover
turkey; let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
Transfer turkey to a serving
platter. Pour pan drippings into a large measuring cup, scraping
the browned bits into the cup. Skim and reserve fat from
drippings. Pour 1/4 cup of the fat into a medium saucepan;
discard the remaining fat. Stir in flour. Add enough chicken
broth or water to remaining drippings to make 2 cups. Add all at
once to flour mixture in saucepan.
Cook and stir broth mixture
over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1
minute more. If desired, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish serving platter with fall fruits and assorted fresh
herbs, if desired. Makes 12 to 14 servings
Source: Unknown. Cut the recipe out of a magazine but
failed to jot down the name of the magazine.
