ROMAN TURKEY RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. To prepare the turkey, place the salt, sugar, pepper and dried chilli flakes in a medium bowl and mix.

  2. Place the turkey in a roasting dish lined with a wire rack (or just place the turkey directly in the dish). Make sure all the innards are removed from the cavity. Using paper towels, pat the turkey dry all over. Sprinkle evenly with the salt mixture. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 8–24 hours – the longer, the better.

  3. Preheat oven to 150C (130C fan-forced).

  4. Remove turkey from fridge, and transfer to a clean roasting dish (discard any liquid that has accumulated in the first dish). Stuff turkey with thyme and a few onion quarters. Scatter remaining onion and all of the garlic around the turkey.

  5. Combine olive oil, butter and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat and saucepan until butter is melted. Pour half of the mixture over the turkey and onion. Toss the onion quarters lightly to evenly coat, and season everything with salt and pepper.

  6. Roast, rotating the dish every hour or so, for 2½ to 3 hours or until the turkey has reached 70C when a meat thermometer is inserted in the deepest part of the thigh. The turkey will be cooked through and tender, and the skin will be brown, but you can and should get it browner.

  7. Increase oven temperature to 220C (200C fan-forced). Pour remaining half of butter mixture over the turkey (warm it slightly if solidified) and continue to cook for 20–25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 73C and the skin is very deeply browned all over. (If you find the skin is browning too quickly, especially on the top at the breast, feel free to place a sheet of foil over the breast.)

  8. Remove turkey from oven and allow to rest on the tray for 20–30 minutes. Tip the turkey, cavity-side down, making sure the aromatics stay inside the cavity, and let any juices run out into the roasting dish. (This is what will be used to make the sauce.)

  9. Transfer the turkey, along with the roasted onion and garlic, to a large serving platter (alternatively, use two of your largest plates). Let it continue to rest while you make the sauce.

  10. To make the sauce, use a spatula to scrape up the bits from the turkey drippings, just like you're deglazing a pan, and transfer to a medium bowl. Remove the garlic cloves from half the roasted garlic and coarsely chop or mash into a paste. Add garlic paste, parsley, thyme and lemon juice to bowl and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if you like.

  11. To serve, carve the turkey and place back on the large platter (or two plates) with the remaining garlic and onion. Sprinkle with salt and serve with the sauce and spicy roasted pumpkin.

  This recipe features in our ultimate Christmas feast

Steps:

• Pull about 2 cups of meat off the turkey carcass and reserve for the soup. Using a large chef's knife, chop the turkey carcass into small fist-size pieces. Transfer to a large pot and add the country ham, onion, carrots, daikon radish, garlic, ginger, and lemon halves. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by 1 inch and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Lower the heat to moderately low and let the stock simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a very gentle simmer, until richly aromatic, about 4 hours. Let the stock cool slightly then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Measure 8 cups of stock for the ramen bowls and reserve the rest for later use. DO AHEAD: The turkey stock can be prepared ahead and kept, covered in the refrigerator, up to 4 days, or frozen, in an airtight container, up to 3 months.
• Fill a medium bowl with cold water.
• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs, 1 at a time, into the boiling water. Make sure the water returns to a boil then cook the eggs for 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the bowl of cold water. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, with the back of a knife, gently tap on the shell to crack it. Carefully peel the eggs then cut them in half and set aside.
• While the eggs are boiling, in a large pot, bring 8 cups of the turkey stock to a boil. Add the miso, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and hot sauce and stir to combine. Add the ramen noodles, discarding the flavor packet if using packaged ramen soup, and boil until tender but still firm, about 3 minutes.
• Divide the ramen noodles and broth evenly into 4 bowls. Into each bowl, evenly divide the tofu, mushrooms, avocado, scallions, watercress, turkey, and soft-boiled egg halves. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan then squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the bowls and serve immediately. Mix everything together and let the broth warm all the ingredients before eating.