Christmas recipe: Mango and macadamia nut turkey stuffing

Mango and Macadamia Turkey Stuffing with Sage and Sausage Meat

Enough to stuff a 3.5 kg turkey

• a little sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and very finely chopped
• 4 pork sausages (Eskort sausages are unbeatable)
• 2 cloves garlic,  very finely chopped
• 3/4 cup macadamia nuts
• 1/3 cup chopped, dried mango slices
• 10 slices day-old white or brown bread, torn
• 6 large sage leaves
• 1 large (thumb-length) sprig of thyme, leaves stripped
• the finely grated zest of a small lemon
• 1 extra-large egg, or two small ones, lightly beaten
• salt and milled black pepper

Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and add the onion.  Cook over a medium heat until just softened. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the sausages and add to the pan. Turn up the heat and cook briskly, using a fork to crumble the sausage meat.  When the meat begins to brown, add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the macadamia nuts and mango in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until roughly chopped.   Remove and set aside.  Add the bread, sage, thyme and lemon zest to the food processor bowl and process until fine.  Tip into a large bowl, add the egg and season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped mango and nuts. Using your fingers, combine the mixture well.  It should have a loose open texture and just hold together when you squeeze a little into a ball.

Now test the seasoning: heat some sunflower oil in the same pan in which you cooked the onions, and add a little piece of stuffing. Fry on both sides until lightly browned. Taste the mixture and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Stuff the mixture into the cavity and the neck area of your turkey, tie up the legs and cook the turkey according the the instructions on the packet.

This recipe was originally posted on my blog, Scrumptious South Africa.

Photo by Cameron Ewart-Smith.