Our recipe this week is the Turkey With Plantain Stuffing recipe all the way from Puerto Rico. Thanksgiving day was celebrated yesterday in the United States; you and your family can join in this celebration by making this spectacular recipe. Stuffed turkey is a popular holiday recipe, however, this recipe is unique because it is made with yummy plantain stuffing. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey (15 lbs)
For Turkey Seasoning
- ½ cup of olive oil
- ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp of adobo
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp of ground pepper
- 2 packages of ground “cubitos” (Cubitos en polvo – chicken bouillon cubes)
- Salt
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
For Turkey Filling
- 3 medium to large green plantains
- 2 cups of canola oil
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch squares
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch squares
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of adobo
[Download a meal timetable for the family]
Procedure
To season turkey
- In a small bowl mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, adobo, oregano, salt, ground pepper, “cubitos”, “sazon” and garlic.
- With a sharp knife make incisions in different places of the Turkey.
- Use seasoning mixture to season whole turkey, inside and out. If you need more seasoning mix, repeat first step.
- Cover turkey with aluminum foil and refrigerate until it absorbs the seasoning, at least 2 to 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven at 350°F (175°C).
To prepare filling
- Peel plantains. Slice plantains into 1-inch chunks.
- Add 2 cups of canola oil to a medium size frying pan. Set stove to medium high and place frying pan for about 5 minutes.
- Add plantains and fry until they are golden brown. Drain them on paper towels or brown paper bags.
- Squash plantains one by one using a mortar and place into a medium size bowl.
- Add, tomato, red and green pepper, garlic, olive oil and adobo to the bowl containing the squashed plantains and mix.
To prepare Turkey
- Fill turkey with plantain filling. Cover, the turkey filling opening with kitchen thread.[
- Cover turkey with aluminum foil and place turkey in preheated oven.
- Leave turkey within the first two hours w/o removing aluminum foil. After two hours, remove aluminum foil and turn in ½ hour intervals for two hours.
- Use the turkey drippings to moist turkey while cooking.
- Set oven to broil for 20 minutes each side.
Recipe source: Brenda Ortiz Valle