Makes enough for a 6 kg (13 lb) turkey
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes, plus turkey cooking time
heart and liver from a 6 kg (13 lb) turkey
50 g (2 oz) fresh breadcrumbs
50 g (2 oz) shelled pecan nuts, finely chopped
1 egg, hard-boiled and chopped
pinch of grated nutmeg
pinch of ground mace
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
pinch of celery salt
40 g (1½ oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dry sherry
salt and pepper
Put the heart and liver in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Chop the meat finely and set aside to cool.
Place the chopped meat in a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs, nuts, egg, spices, herbs and celery salt.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the mushrooms and onion and cook over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir into the meat mixture, add the sherry and season to taste.
Pack the stuffing loosely into the neck of the turkey (see page 18) or shape into small balls and place in the tin around the turkey for the last 30 minutes of the turkey’s cooking time.
For sweet potato & sausagemeat stuffing, melt 25 g (1 oz) butter in a frying pan and fry 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped celery sticks until softened. Tip into a bowl and allow to cool, then stir in 300 g (10 oz) peeled and grated sweet potato, 500 g (1 lb) pork sausagemeat, the grated rind of 1 lemon and 15 g (½ oz) chopped herbs (such as parsley, oregano, sage, thyme). Mix well and finish cooking as above.