Orange Glazed Turkey
by Marjan
All year long, my pallet and I are on the search for a new recipe to dress up Turkey Dinner. Last year as soon as I finished carving my turkey and served it, in the back of my mind I kept wondering: ‘What will I do next year?’ Check out some of our past years posts for recipes.
Not to worry friends, I found a wonderful marinade and glaze that will not only make your turkey look and taste more scrumptious, but also have all your guests thanking you once again for an amazing feast! Sweet and sour orange glaze, accented with lime zest and chili flakes, will give your roasted turkey an explosion of flavor that will hopefully counter the effects of tryptophan!
For the side dish, never mind the boring green beans or the traditional brussels sprouts forced into a marriage of bacon for flavor. My medley of roasted miniature squash, zucchini and heirloom tomatoes dressed up in lemon zest, garlic and parsley infused olive oil will make fans out of carnivores, the young and old. This is an easy recipe that will bring elegance, flavor and color to your turkey dinner.
May your gathering be filled with beloved family and friends joined to celebrate blessings of health, peace, love and happiness. This is my wish for you!
Happy Thanksgiving
Directions for Turkey
14-16 lb. turkey
4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
6 lime- zest and juice; Zest lime first then juice- keep the zest separate from the juice
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoon ground chili powder
4 cloves of garlic- chopped
Sea salt and ground pepper
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp chili flakes
½ -1 cup powdered sugar- depending on the sweetness of the orange
Slices of orange and sprigs of parsley for garnish- optional
In a bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups of orange juice, lime juice, coriander, chili powder, garlic and ¼ cup salt and pepper each. In a large plastic bag, place turkey and pour the juice all over making sure to cover the inside, outside and under the skin if possible. Allow the air out of the opening of bag and tightly seal. Place in the fridge overnight. Turn the bag around a couple of times to ensure the turkey is well marinated all over.
In a saucepan, bring to boil over medium/low heat the remaining orange juice and stir occasionally until the juice reduces to about a cup. Add ½ cup of powdered sugar and taste. If you like your marinade more sweet, add more sugar until a sweet and sour consistency is achieved. Sugar amount is also based on sweetness of the oranges used. Remove from heat and add melted butter, ½ teaspoon sea salt, chili flakes and lime zest. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use the following day.
An hour before roasting, take the turkey out of the refrigerator and give it time to rest in the bag with the marinade. Preheat oven 325 degrees and place the oven rack at the lowest position. Place turkey on rack set in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and rub with olive oil all over the skin and place in the oven for 2 hours.
In a small sauce pan, warm up the orange glaze. Remove turkey from oven and with a brush, paint half of the orange glaze all over the turkey. Place back in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. With the remainder of the glaze, brush again over the turkey and roast for an additional 30 minutes- turn oven temperature to 350 degrees to achieve a golden brown glaze over the turkey. Remove from oven and allow the turkey to rest for 30 minutes prior to serving. Decorate your serving platter with slices or orange and parsley for garnish.
Roasted Vegetables and Marinade
(serves 4-6)
2 lbs. of miniature zucchini and squash- cut in half
½ lb grape or heirloom tomatoes
Zest of one large lemon- use 2 lemons if small
3 garlic clove-minced
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley- finely chopped
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper
Sprig of parsley for garnish
I like to roast my vegetable the night before to free up the oven for the turkey, potatoes, or any other side dish to be made the day of entertaining guests.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven. In a large cookie sheet, place vegetables and sprinkle with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss well. Roast for 40-45 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool. Place in a tight sealed container and refrigerate overnight. The following day when you remove turkey out of the oven to rest, place the vegetables again on a cookie sheet to warm up at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, garlic, ½ tsp salt and pepper, parsley and olive oil. Again, this marinade can be prepared the night before and stored in the fridge overnight. Once the vegetables are warmed up, place them in a large serving bowl and toss with marinade. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.
All year long, my pallet and I are on the search for a new recipe to dress up Turkey Dinner. Last year as soon as I finished carving my turkey and served it, in the back of my mind I kept wondering: ‘What will I do next year?’ Check out some of our past years posts for recipes.
Not to worry friends, I found a wonderful marinade and glaze that will not only make your turkey look and taste more scrumptious, but also have all your guests thanking you once again for an amazing feast! Sweet and sour orange glaze, accented with lime zest and chili flakes, will give your roasted turkey an explosion of flavor that will hopefully counter the effects of tryptophan!
For the side dish, never mind the boring green beans or the traditional brussels sprouts forced into a marriage of bacon for flavor. My medley of roasted miniature squash, zucchini and heirloom tomatoes dressed up in lemon zest, garlic and parsley infused olive oil will make fans out of carnivores, the young and old. This is an easy recipe that will bring elegance, flavor and color to your turkey dinner.
May your gathering be filled with beloved family and friends joined to celebrate blessings of health, peace, love and happiness. This is my wish for you!
Happy Thanksgiving
Directions for Turkey
14-16 lb. turkey
4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
6 lime- zest and juice; Zest lime first then juice- keep the zest separate from the juice
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoon ground chili powder
4 cloves of garlic- chopped
Sea salt and ground pepper
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp chili flakes
½ -1 cup powdered sugar- depending on the sweetness of the orange
Slices of orange and sprigs of parsley for garnish- optional
In a bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups of orange juice, lime juice, coriander, chili powder, garlic and ¼ cup salt and pepper each. In a large plastic bag, place turkey and pour the juice all over making sure to cover the inside, outside and under the skin if possible. Allow the air out of the opening of bag and tightly seal. Place in the fridge overnight. Turn the bag around a couple of times to ensure the turkey is well marinated all over.
In a saucepan, bring to boil over medium/low heat the remaining orange juice and stir occasionally until the juice reduces to about a cup. Add ½ cup of powdered sugar and taste. If you like your marinade more sweet, add more sugar until a sweet and sour consistency is achieved. Sugar amount is also based on sweetness of the oranges used. Remove from heat and add melted butter, ½ teaspoon sea salt, chili flakes and lime zest. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use the following day.
An hour before roasting, take the turkey out of the refrigerator and give it time to rest in the bag with the marinade. Preheat oven 325 degrees and place the oven rack at the lowest position. Place turkey on rack set in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and rub with olive oil all over the skin and place in the oven for 2 hours.
In a small sauce pan, warm up the orange glaze. Remove turkey from oven and with a brush, paint half of the orange glaze all over the turkey. Place back in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. With the remainder of the glaze, brush again over the turkey and roast for an additional 30 minutes- turn oven temperature to 350 degrees to achieve a golden brown glaze over the turkey. Remove from oven and allow the turkey to rest for 30 minutes prior to serving. Decorate your serving platter with slices or orange and parsley for garnish.
Roasted Vegetables and Marinade
(serves 4-6)
2 lbs. of miniature zucchini and squash- cut in half
½ lb grape or heirloom tomatoes
Zest of one large lemon- use 2 lemons if small
3 garlic clove-minced
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley- finely chopped
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper
Sprig of parsley for garnish
I like to roast my vegetable the night before to free up the oven for the turkey, potatoes, or any other side dish to be made the day of entertaining guests.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven. In a large cookie sheet, place vegetables and sprinkle with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss well. Roast for 40-45 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool. Place in a tight sealed container and refrigerate overnight. The following day when you remove turkey out of the oven to rest, place the vegetables again on a cookie sheet to warm up at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, garlic, ½ tsp salt and pepper, parsley and olive oil. Again, this marinade can be prepared the night before and stored in the fridge overnight. Once the vegetables are warmed up, place them in a large serving bowl and toss with marinade. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.
