Apple-glazed roast turkey

Name: Apple-glazed roast turkey
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 cups Rice and chia mix, cooked; 1 Apple, cored and diced; 1 cup Craisins; 1 tsp Dried basil; 1 tsp Oregano; 1 Egg, lightly beaten; 1 medium Onion, for neck cavity; 1 medium Apple, for chest cavity; 1 Turkey, approx. 4.5kg (I used a Crozier free-range one) (Main); 3 Carrots, roughly chopped; 3 stalks Celery, roughly chopped; 1 Onion, chopped; 50 g Softened butter; ⅔ cup Apple juice; 1 Tbsp Cider vinegar; ½ cup Brown sugar, packed; 1 Orange, juice and freshly grated rind

for 8 people

Jan Bilton

Food writer and cookbook author.

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I used a packet of 90-second rice and chia mix to stuff this mid-winter Christmas turkey. Crozier turkeys now have pop-up cooking timers.

Stuffing

2 cups	Rice and chia mix, cooked
1	Apple, cored and diced
1 cup	Craisins
1 tsp	Dried basil
1 tsp	Oregano
1	Egg, lightly beaten
1 medium	Onion, for neck cavity
1 medium	Apple, for chest cavity

Turkey

1	Turkey, approx. 4.5kg (I used a Crozier free-range one) (Main)
3	Carrots, roughly chopped
3 stalks	Celery, roughly chopped
1	Onion, chopped
50 g	Softened butter

Glaze

⅔ cup	Apple juice
1 Tbsp	Cider vinegar
½ cup	Brown sugar, packed
1	Orange, juice and freshly grated rind

Directions

To prepare the stuffing, combine the cooked rice and chia mix with the diced apple, craisins, herbs, egg and seasonings. Peel and cut the onion to a suitable shape to fit the neck cavity. Prick the apple several times with a skewer.
Preheat the oven to 150C.
Remove the giblets from the turkey and reserve. Run cold water through the turkey cavities then pat dry. Fill the chest cavity with the rice stuffing. Place the apple at the entrance of the cavity. Place the onion in the neck cavity folding the skin over to hold it in place. Tie the turkey in a neat shape with string.
Place the carrots, celery and onion in the middle of a large roasting pan. Top with the giblets. Place the turkey on a rack and place over the mixture. Spread with the softened butter. Season well with the black pepper. Add 2 cups of water to the roasting pan.
Roast for 40 minutes per 500g or until the turkey timer pops up about 3½hours. Baste the turkey and turn the roasting pan around occasionally.
Meanwhile, boil the glaze ingredients together, until syrupy. Brush the turkey with the glaze several times during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Cover loosely with foil and stand to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
The pan juices and vegetables can be used as a base for gravy.