Thread: Thanksgiving Recipe Contest!

The following is a version of the recipe that my family has used for generations. It’s not really a “Thanksgiving” recipe as Russians don’t celebrate the holiday. Of course living in America now my family does so I guess it just became the appropriate dish for my grandmother to start making decades ago.

Turkey (Approx. 4-4 ½ hrs):
Turkey (approx. 15 lbs.)
1 ½ lbs. Bacon (regular bacon, don't use sugary or maple smoked)
Salt / Pepper

Stuffing (15 minutes):
1 ½ lbs. Pecans or Walnuts (either one creates a different but distinct flavor, I myself prefer walnuts)
3 lbs. Liver (calf)
French bread cut into cubes (remove crust)
Bread crumbs (amount depends on the mixtures consistency)
½ - 1 cup Milk
5 eggs (beaten)
Celery (three stalks, medium slice)
*Sour Cherries 2-3 cups (optional, if you can find em’ I recommend)
*Raisins1-1 ½ cups (you can use raisins instead of cherries as well)
Salt / Pepper


To make stuffing:
Chop up the nuts into small pieces and set aside. Sauté the liver for about 3-4 minutes just to brown it. Put liver into blender and lightly blend. Be careful you want to lightly blend and chop it’s not a margarita so don’t go crazy :-) You want it to have a consistency like hamburger so if you own a grinder like I do this works better.
Put the chopped liver in a bowl, add nuts, bread, milk, eggs, celery, *cherries, and mix by hand. Add breadcrumbs based on desired consistency but it should be somewhat wet, imagine moist meatloaf.

The bird:
Obviously clean the bird, inside and out. Place the stuffing mixture inside the turkey and either “sew” it closed or stick skewers through it in an X pattern to close it. Salt / Pepper the bird. Cover the whole turkey with bacon; legs, back, breast, etc. Then tie with string just as you would say a stuffed loin. Stick a meat thermometer into the breast area. Roast in oven, covered in foil, at 400⁰ F for 45 minutes.

Reduce heat to 375⁰ F and continue to roast for 3 hours. At this point you need to also start basting the turkey every 15 or 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue roasting and basting until the thermometer reaches 175⁰ F. prick the thigh and if the juice is clear the turkey is done.

Drain juices into a bowl and slap in the freezer while turkey is resting for about 10-15 minutes. After resting cut the tie string, pull out the stuffing. Take the bowl from the freezer with the drained juices and remove the fat layer that has formed at the top, use the juices to pour over the turkey.

And the Winners are
1st place CarrieM
second place Caddy59
and third place to controlfreak1

Congrats to everyone and thanks for entering!!!!! I will get your accounts credited tonight!

Doh, See what happens when you move and end up out of work for 7 months... Ya miss all kinds of stuff

Welcome back Chef!!!!!