Give thanks: traditional recipes prepared during Thanksgiving

Roasted stuffed turkey

Ingredients
1 large turkey
25 gm salt
25 gm crushed pepper
25 gm white pepper powder
25 gm paprika flakes
25 gm chopped celery
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
50 ml vinegar
25 gm mustard paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 100 ml olive oil

Stuffing
1500 gm chicken mince
250 gm chopped chicken sausage
25 gm chopped parsley
100 gm cheddar cheese
Salt to taste
1 tbsp white pepper powder, 25 ml olive oil
200 gm croton herbs
Braising
50 ml olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary

For the roast: A few celery sticks, leeks, a pod of garlic, onions (the vegetables need to weigh 300 gm)

Garnish: Broccoli, potato wedges, French beans carrot, cranberry

Method: Clean the turkey thoroughly and drain the water. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Apply the marinade inside and outside the turkey. Put it in the freezer overnight.

Stuffing: Mix all the stuffing ingredients together thoroughly. After stuffing the turkey use a thick needle and thread to close the open ends of the turkey.

Roasting: Take a tray large enough to hold the stuffed turkey. Make a bed of diced carrot, onion, celery, leeks, whole garlic (one pod) crushed peppercorn and a few bay leaves. Place the stuffed turkey on this bed and cover with silver foil.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180-200ºC for at least 2-3 hours. Every half hour use a brush and baste the turkey (using the braising ingredients). After it has become golden brown take it out of the oven and let it cool. Steam all the garnishing vegetables and place the turkey on a decorative tray and garnish with the steamed vegetables, the roasted vegetables and cranberry. You can also use the turkey drip from the tray in the oven as a sauce.

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Pumpkin pie recipe

Ingredients (For the sweet pastry base)
150 gm icing sugar
300 gm butter
450 gm flour
Pumpkin custard mix
600 gm cooked pumpkin puree
480 gm cooking cream
6 eggs
125 gm sugar
10 gm cornstarch
35 gm honey
3 gm cinnamon powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped cream

Method: To make pumpkin purée from scratch, cut a medium-small sugar pumpkin in half. Scrape out the insides. Line a baking tray with foil. Place the pumpkin pieces on the lined baking sheet and bake at 180ºC until a fork can easily pierce them. Remove from oven, let it cool, scoop out the pulp. You can also cut the pumpkin into sections and steam in a saucepan until soft.

Cream the icing sugar and butter to a smooth paste and slowly add the flour to the above paste till it can be moulded. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Roll the dough and layer it into the pie dish and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar and slowly add the cooking cream to this with the pumpkin puree. To this add the cornstarch, honey, cinnamon powder and vanilla extract one by one and mix well.

Pour the pumpkin custard mix into the sweet pastry pie mould and bake in a preheated oven at 200ºC for 15 to 20 minutes. It is done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the pumpkin pie on a wire rack and garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle cinnamon powder before serving it.