Spanish Spiced Turkey

By foodiva

Ingredients

• 1 12lb. turkey, thawed
• 5 quarts (20 cups) water
• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 Carrots, peeled
• 3 medium onions
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 Cups orange juice
• 1 small yellow onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• dash of salt
• 1 T. honey
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 1 cup dried prunes
• 2 oz. pine nuts, toasted
• 6 oz. dried apricots
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp. smoked spanish paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 300mins
Adapted from cookiedoughandovenmitt.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
In a saucepan, add in 4 cups of the water, sugar and salt. Bring up to a boil and stir occasionally.
Pour the brine into the 16 cups of cold water. Immerse turkey in the brine for about an hour or until the basting liquid is finished.
While the turkey is brining, cut each carrot into three pieces. Cut the two largest sections of the carrot in half. Set aside.
Cut the onions into 8 sections as you would an apple. Set aside.
In a fry pan with at least a 2 inch side, saute onions and garlic until soft and fragrant.
Add orange juice and stock in with the onions and garlic. Reduce the orange juice by a third.
Add the honey and salt and stir until incorporated.
In a large bowl, add in the dried prunes and apricots.
Place a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowl with the prunes and apricots. Pour the juice into the strainer and discarding the onion and garlic. Let the fruit soak for about 10 minutes until soft.
Strain fruit with the same fine mesh strainer. Be sure to reserve the liquid for basting.
Stir the toasted pine nuts in with the softened prunes and apricots.
Using cheesecloth and string, wrap and tie the prunes, apricots and pine nuts into a bundle.
Place the turkey into the roasting pan and place the little package of fruit inside the turkey.
In a small bowl, combine the fennel, cumin, paprika, pepper, mustard seeds, chili flakes and salt.
Rub the turkey with the spices.
Add the carrots, onions and fresh thyme around the turkey.
Cover the turkey with tin foil and roast at 325 degrees for about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Remove the tin foil and let the turkey brown up for the last hour. You'll be cooking this turkey for 3 hours and 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the strained orange sauce.
When serving, remove the cheesecloth insert and arrange its contents around the turkey with the carrots and onions. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Instructions