Pomegranate Glazed Turkey With Wild Rice And Chestnut Stuffing Recipes

CHESTNUT AND WILD RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Put the wild rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cold running water, swishing the rice with your hands until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a medium bowl and add water to cover. Pour off any black bits or floating kernels, and then pour the rice back into the sieve to drain.
• Cook the rices separately: Combine the wild rice with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, reduce the heat to low and steam until the rice is tender and curling into a C shape, 20 to 25 minutes.
• At the same time, combine the basmati rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 3/4 cups water in another small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and steam until the rice is tender, 25 minutes.
• Combine the rices in a large bowl and cover tightly.
• Cook the vegetable base: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are limp but still bright, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Pour the vegetables over the rice, scraping the pan for the juices, and stir to combine. Add the pistachios, chestnuts and parsley and mix thoroughly. Serve hot.

POMEGRANATE GLAZED TURKEY WITH WILD RICE AND CHESTNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to high heat.
• Season the turkey with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Mix the rice, chestnuts, onion, and herbs together in a baking dish. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Cover with foil and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the turkey on the grill and grill each side over high heat until nicely browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the heat down to low and move the turkey pieces to a higher rack in the grill. Close the lid of the grill and let cook slowly, turning occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes. Then begin brushing the pomegranate juice on the turkey and continue until the turkey is cooked through; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone should register 175 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the grill, transfer to a cutting board, and let it stand, loosely covered with foil, for 15 minutes before carving.
• Place the stuffing in the oven and let warm for 10 minutes. Serve stuffing with turkey. Bring any remaining pomegranate juice to a simmer and drizzle over the turkey.

POMEGRANATE-GLAZED TURKEY WITH WILD RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Combine the wild rice, 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring once. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice absorbs all of the liquid, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the chestnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven to remove some of their moisture, about 10 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, savory and parsley and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and the toasted chestnuts and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
• Remove the neck, giblets and any excess fat from the turkey; discard. Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and loosely fill with the rice stuffing, leaving space for the rice to expand during cooking. Put the pancetta slices over the cavity opening and secure with toothpicks or skewers to enclose the stuffing. Truss the legs and wings with kitchen twine.
• Rub the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the breast registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F, 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a platter and let rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a skillet; add the pomegranate juice and honey. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly syrupy and reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Brush the turkey with some of the glaze. Garnish the platter with rosemary, if desired, and serve with more glaze.
• ACTIVE: 1 hr 10 min l TOTAL: 4 hr 25 min l SERVES: 12 to 14

BLACK PEPPER-POMEGRANATE MOLASSES GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Whisk together pomegranate molasses, horseradish, mustard, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. Set aside and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.
• Remove the neck, heart and gizzard from inside of the turkey. Rinse the bird inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Rub the entire surface of the bird with the butter and season well (including the cavity) with salt and pepper. Truss the turkey and place breast-up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Roast for about 45 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with some of the chicken stock every 15 minutes, for about 1 hour, 15 minutes longer. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh should register 160 degrees F.)
• During the last 15 minutes of roasting, stop basting with the chicken stock and brush the entire turkey with 1 cup of the pomegranate glaze. Remove the turkey from the oven, brush with the remaining glaze, loosely tent and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

POMEGRANATE-GLAZED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH WILD RICE-CHESTNUT STUFFING AND YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a 2-quart saucepan, combine rice, 3 cups cold water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with rack in center of the oven. Transfer rice to a large bowl, along with chestnuts, onion, thyme, sage, parsley, and dill; stir to combine. Lightly season the cavity of each game hen with salt, and loosely fill with equal amounts of stuffing, leaving a little space in each for the rice to expand during roasting. Any remaining stuffing may be baked in a covered heatproof dish; set aside.
• Using kitchen twine, truss hens by tying the legs together tightly, looping each side of the string around a wing, and bringing the string all the way around the bird tightly to hold the legs together and the wings close to the body.
• Season hens with salt and pepper, and place breast side down on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes, and baste with pomegranate juice. Continue basting with remaining pomegranate juice every 15 to 20 minutes. During the last 25 minutes of roasting, place the reserved stuffing into the oven to heat. When 10 minutes remain, flip the hens over and continue roasting until the hens are dark golden brown and the juices run clear when pierced at the thigh. Total cooking time for hens will be 50 to 55 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, should register 175 degrees to 180 degrees.
• Remove hens and stuffing from the oven. Transfer hens to a platter. Cover with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Place roasting pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the roasting pan. Add wine, if using. Sift flour into the roasting pan, and stir to combine. Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 cups stock. Cook until mixture has thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. The consistency of the gravy may be adjusted with a teaspoon or two of stock or wine. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, and olive oil. Gently stir in the mint and pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a hen on each of 4 plates. Spoon gravy over hens and garnish with parsley, feta cheese, additional stuffing, and yogurt sauce.

WILD RICE STUFFING FOR TURKEY

Steps:

• Dissolve 3 cubes bouillon in 1 cup hot water. In a medium saucepan, combine wild rice with bouillon water, then fill with just enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix remaining 1 cube bouillon in 1 cup hot water. Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in celery and green pepper; cook until tender. Mix in remaining bouillon water. Pour skillet contents into a large bowl. Stir together cooked rice, croutons, and poultry seasoning.
• Stuff turkey loosely, and cook turkey as directed. Or put stuffing into a well greased baking dish, cover, and bake 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F (165 degree C).