Greek Stuffed Turkey with Chestnuts (Galopoula Gemisti)

Roast stuffed turkey on a platter with the stuffing showing

Turkey has become a favourite Christmas main in Greece, and the Greek way is all about the stuffing, the gemisi: minced meat with rice, chestnuts and pine nuts, warmly spiced with cinnamon and a little nutmeg. The bird is rubbed with orange and lemon, roasted slowly so it stays juicy, and glazed at the end with petimezi, the Greek grape syrup.

Plan about 40 minutes per kilo. For a smaller table, use the same stuffing in a large chicken.

Serves: 8 | Prep: 40 min | Cook: 3 hours 30 min plus resting

Ingredients

  • 1 turkey of 4.5 to 5 kg, taken out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting
  • Juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon
  • 4 tbsp olive oil and 50 g soft butter
  • 200 ml dry white wine and 300 ml water
  • 2 tbsp petimezi (grape syrup) or honey, to glaze
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the stuffing: 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 500 g mixed minced beef and pork
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 150 g long grain rice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
  • 300 ml hot water or stock
  • 300 g cooked, peeled chestnuts, halved
  • 50 g pine nuts, toasted
  • 50 g raisins (optional)
  • 1 small bunch parsley, chopped

Method

  1. For the stuffing, brown the mince with the onion in the olive oil for 10 minutes, breaking it up. Stir in the rice, cinnamon and nutmeg, add the hot water or stock and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid but is still firm. Stir in the chestnuts, pine nuts, raisins and parsley, season well and let it cool.
  2. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Pat the turkey dry and rub it inside and out with the orange and lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  3. Fill the cavity loosely with stuffing, as the rice still expands. Close the opening with a skewer and tie the legs. Put any leftover stuffing in a small oven dish.
  4. Put the turkey in a roasting tin, rub it with the butter and olive oil and pour the wine and water into the tin. Cover loosely with foil.
  5. Roast for about 40 minutes per kilo, 3 to 3½ hours for 5 kg, basting every 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes so the skin turns golden, and brush with petimezi for the last 15 minutes.
  6. The turkey is done when the juices run clear and a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, and in the centre of the stuffing, shows 75°C. While the turkey rests, bake the extra stuffing, moistened with a few spoons of the pan juices and covered with foil, for 25 to 30 minutes.
  7. Rest the turkey under foil for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Serve with the stuffing and roast potatoes.

Tips

  • Stuff the turkey just before it goes into the oven, never the night before.
  • Ready-cooked, vacuum-packed chestnuts save a lot of time.
  • For a 2 kg chicken use half the stuffing and roast for about 1½ hours.

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Photo: Mark Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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