HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!
The second Monday of October has been the day Canada has celebrated Thanksgiving since 1957. You might say it is synonymous with autumn & the harvest season. For us, its a time to be thankful for having the privilege of being Canadian and able to live in such a wonderful country.
Autumn is not to be taken lightly, its a magical season that is often overlooked. The green around us gets replaced by flaming oranges, bright reds and golden yellows. Much like the leaves swirling in the crisp autumn breeze, we are reminded that Mother Nature has an incredible influence on our lives.
This year has been like no other in most of our lives. Without a doubt the world is experiencing a health crises of a huge magnitude. I doubt whether many aspects of the life we once new, will ever be the same again. Some time ago I read an article that was posted on Facebook. When things are verbalized it seems to make them unmistakably clear. I’ve always believed there is a reason for everything even if we don’t know what it is at the time. I want to re-post this article as I thought it is certainly worth reading and giving some thought to.
We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another * Suddenly Disney is out of magic * Paris is no longer romantic * New York doesn’t stand up anymore * The Chinese wall is no longer a fortress and Mecca is empty * Hugs & kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love * Suddenly you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for * The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think its sending us a message * ‘You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters’.
For our Thanksgiving meal today, I am making a turkey breast roast. The turkey breast is deboned, butterflied and pounded to an even thickness, then filled with stuffing. Usually it is tied with kitchen twine and roasted in a low and slow oven.
This particular stuffing contains figs, apples and some Italian sausage. I think it should make for a good Thanksgiving meal.
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- 1.3 kg whole turkey breast, boneless w/ skin on (2 halves)
- 3/4 cup dried figs, stems removed & diced
- 1/2 cup orange juice I prefer sweetened juice
- 1/4 cup butter,
- 1 medium Gala apple, peeled, cored & chopped
- 1 1/2 cups onions, diced
- 1 cup celery stalks, diced
- 2 MILD Italian sausages, casings removed
- 1 tsp EACH parsley, rosemary, sage leaves & thyme
- 2-3 Tbsp hazelnuts OR walnuts, chopped
- 3 cups stale bread cubes
- 30 gm Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp butter,
- 1/2 tsp EACH parsley, rosemary, sage leaves, thyme & smoked paprika
Ingredients
Herb Butter
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- In a small saucepan, simmer figs in orange juice about 4 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt butter & add apple, celery, onions, herbs & sausage, breaking up the sausage into small pieces. Sauté for about 10 minutes until fruit/vegetables are soft & sausage is browned.
- Add the nuts & figs with any liquid remaining & cook for another 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the sausage mixture to the bread cubes & grated parmesan. Toss until quite moist & well combined; season to taste with salt & pepper
- Lay plastic wrap on your work surface. Butterfly turkey breasts & carefully pound until you acquire an even thickness. Even though you are using a boneless turkey breast there is that piece of hard grizzle still holding the breast halves together. I like to remove it but still keep the skin in one piece. When you fold the breast to cover the stuffing everything stays together nicely. It makes it real easy when its cooked & you are ready to slice.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Spoon stuffing on one side & press down slightly. Using the plastic wrap, flip the other half of the turkey breast over stuffing. Tuck in any stuffing that falls out. Tie roast with KITCHEN TWINE or leave as is. Place the turkey breast, on a foil lined baking pan (not glass).
- Brush with HERB BUTTER. Roast 2-2 1/2 hours. Each oven roasts different so test in a few places with a meat thermometer to be sure.
- Cover breasts loosely with foil for 20 minutes before slicing. remove twine & carve 1-inch slices & serve with extra stuffing if you wish.
- This recipe will be enough for Thanksgiving dinner as well as leftovers for a few more meals depending on the amount of dinner guests you have.
- I'm a stuffing lover, so you will notice there is ample stuffing in this recipe.