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Definitely, neither photography nor food designing is my forte. Food photography is the most time consuming and stressful part of my blogging. Maybe I should take a class. But where?
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Every year, my sister seems to enjoy baking a very large turkey, which she stays up all night to bake/roast… hence, Thanksgiving event is always at her house. In my few decades of adulthood, I made small, stuffed turkey twice. They turned out well both times. When my sister’s family was invited elsewhere for Thanksgiving, other than a couple of times being included in the other family’s event, I chose to stay home. For ‘just the two of us’, when I was with my son, or now, with my husband, to be in the holiday mood, I made stuffed chicken, in lieu of turkey, which I actually prefer.
Today, I would like to introduce you to a turkey/chicken stuffing which my mother used even before I was born. She learned it from a seasoned, master chef she used to hire when she held big dinner events at our home in Iran. Since she never wrote down her recipes, my sisters and I make it from our recollection of watching our ‘Maman’. The ratio of the ingredients may be adjusted to your taste.
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Walnuts and Dried Fruits Stuffing
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• 2 Tbsp frying/vegetable oil
• 150 g/ 1 medium onion – finely diced
• 250 g/ 2 cups dried, halved walnuts – ground finely, fluffy texture
• 200 gr mixed jumbo raisins
• 1 heaping Tbsp dried cranberries (originally, zereshk/barberries are used, which are too tart for me)
• 10 small-sized, pitted prunes
• 10 small-sized, pitted dried apricots
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/16 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• a pinch of ground saffron (optional)
• ¼ cup hot water
DIRECTIONS
◊ In a medium-sized non-stick pot, on medium-heat, heat oil and add the diced onion. Fry until the edges start browning.
◊ Add the ground walnut, stirring, sauté for two minutes (watch, so it will not burn).
◊ Add the dried fruits, seasoning and hot water. Mix well, set heat to low, put the lid on and heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Dish into a bowl and set aside. It will make 2½ cups of stuffing.
~ Noushe jan! • نوش جان ~
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Roast Chicken, Stuffed
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• 1 fresh whole chicken, about 2.7 Kg/ 6 lbs
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature -or- vegetable oil
• salt & ground black pepper
◊ After taking it out of the refrigerator, let chicken rest at room temperature for 1~2 hour. Trim excess fat from cavity, without removing any part of the skin. Thoroughly rinse chicken under cold water, inside and out. Let water completely drip out of cavity and pat the surface dry. Season/rub cavity generously with salt and pepper (not to excess).
DIRECTIONS
◊ Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 230°C/450°F
◊ Holding the chicken upside-down, fill with cooled (not hot) stuffing and push down to fill completely.
◊ Truss chicken ( → see here, I think this is the best way to truss a chicken, especially because twine is easy to remove after roasting).
◊ Rub skin with 1 tablespoon of butter (or vegetable oil). Sprinkle skin generously with salt and pepper.
◊ Place chicken in a deep roasting pan, fitted with a rack or a large, deep, ovenproof skillet.
I used an aluminum pan 40cmX30cmX8cm (16″x12″x3″deep), placed on a baking sheet, so it would be stable for handling (a must).
◊ Cover the pan with wide aluminum foil, making a dome, to insure foil does not touch the chicken (crucial for beautiful finish). Initially, bake covered for 80 minutes (less for smaller chicken).
◊ Remove from the oven and carefully remove foil from side that the steam will not aim you/your hands:
Note… at this point, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh should register 165°F/75°C
◊ Return to the oven, uncovered, roast with legs facing rear of the oven for even, crispy amber skin. This process must be watched as it roasts very quickly.
Optional Tip (which I did not use this time): For a beautiful roasting color and shine, brush the skin with mixture of 1 egg yolk, a few specks of saffron, and 1½ Tbsp olive oil, before putting the bird back into the oven for roasting… 15~20 minutes or until desired color.
◊ Using two wide wooden spatulas, transfer chicken to a serving platter and remove twine. Let sit for 10 minutes before carving.
◊ As for the juice in the pan… pour juice through a fine mesh sieve into a heat resistant bowl -or- saucepan, if planning to condense it or make a sauce (I used as is). Spoon and discard floating fat before using the juice either way.
◊ Carve chicken and serve with stuffing and pan juice, as is, or condensed.
~ Noushe jan! • نوش جان ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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Sexy legs and shimmering skin and inviting look 🙂 That was one hell of a ‘bombshell’ chicken 🙂 Loved it, especially the stuffing ingredients.
Many thanks for the cute pictures and a darn useful recipe.
Love and hugs.
That looks marvellous Fae! Will definitely have to try stuffing a bird with this yummy-looking stuffing.
It looks soooo delicious!!! I must try some day.
Very well explained, and the images help even more.
The stuffing sounds delicious Fae! Of course I’d use it to stuff a squash rather than a bird, but that’s just me. Have a lovely day girlfriend! 🙂
Omg it looks very delicious and mouthwatering. I would like the breast please…with some stuffing. I haven’t had breakfast and this kind of makes me hungry…thanks for sharing and have a lovely weekend!
Hello Fae, no worries your photo looks fine. Love both food and photos and the story behind this recipe , what a wonderful recollection of memories.
I enjoy your photos Fae! The stuffing sounds absolutely delicious!
Love the recipe and the story of your Thanksgivings and the back story of your mom’s recipe. I really could read chapters about your life stories. Not kidding.
I really like to write volumes… in order not to bore anyone, I will include short versions here-and-there in my posts. 😀 )))
The story behind this recipe is what makes it special. I look at the picture and imagine your mother making a note of the recipe and the events this was served at, maybe the picture in my mind is nothing like what actually happened but your post transported me for a few moments. As to photography – your pictures are excellent but I agree with your about them being stressful. My problem is always light especially now we are in Winter. I too would love to go to a class.
Hi Maria, To make a long story short… when I lived in Iran (I was a child), my parent had a very big house with a very ‘big’ garden. Twice a year, in the summer, they had big dinner events, inviting around 200 people. A hired chef and his entourage would arrive a day early to work with our cook and prepare. We/children were never allowed in the kitchen at any time. The kitchen was in the basement of the house which had windows close to its ceiling, which opened to the side yard ground level. We would go there and peek into the kitchen. It was like a restaurant galley you see on TV shows. My mother would periodically go down to observe their work.
My mother was raised by her paternal uncle, who also had a private cook at home. Therefore, culinary-wise, she had the best sources to learn cooking skills and great recipes. She was young and learned well, but unfortunately, did not write them down. What we know of her cooking is what we observed, some techniques in which she trained us and stories she related.
I am the only one of her children documenting my recollections of her cooking.
fabulous and creatively different!!
That roasted chicken looks about perfect, and the stuffing recipe is a new one for me to try. Sounds like something I will enjoy, probably will be excellent on turkey sandwiches, too, for the next day! 🙂
Sounds fantastic. I really should borrow a page from your book and stuff a chicken occasionally. This one you’ve shared is a good place to start. Yum!
The stuffing sounds delicious! Will have to try it sometime. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
mmm chicken. I love chicken. This looks delicious. I’m off to discuss dinner plans with daddy – thanks! XOXO – Bacon
Yummy! 🙂 Greetings from Sweden!
This looks utterly delicious! I love the sound of that stuffing. Will have to try, maybe for a special Sunday roast 🙂