So last Saturday I made a turkey dinner. I love cooking turkeys many times a year. It can be challenging, especially when living overseas. This time there was only one turkey to be found in all of Hangzhou! But we got him 🙂 He was a turkey grown locally, so very lean. Also, I don’t have an oven. I have something akin to a toaster oven. But Everyone knows I love a challenge!
Ingredients:
Turkey
Large pear – chopped in large pieces
Large green apple – chopped in large pieces
Large red onion – chopped in large pieces
6 garlic cloves – chopped in large pieces
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
First remove the innards stuck in the rear. Here in China, that includes the head! I couldn’t touch it, blech!! So I used wooden spoons and did a forcep delivery.
Then give your turkey a good bath… Inside and out. Place in pan you are going to use.
Stuff the turkey with the pear, apple, onion and garlic. The moistness and tenderness from simply using these 4 ingredients is amazing!
Generously rub olive oil all over your turkey, don’t forget between his legs and under his wings.
Generously douse with salt & pepper.
Put him breast up and in the oven.
Cook 15 minutes for every pound at 350 degrees F.
That’s IT!! Don’t put aluminum foil on his bits, leave him alone! He’ll be perfect!
Enjoy! Ciao!
Flamidwyfe's Blog 
Way to make this work with what you had available! The head is creepy … don’t think I’d be able to touch it either.
It’s just one of those things that creep you out. Kind of how we can’t pick up a dead bug, lol! To give credit to the people here in China, nothing goes to waste. Not the head, not the feet, nothing.
Yep, gotta give them a lot of credit for that!
Do you know that I stuff my turkey with apples and onions, too? Never thought of adding garlic and pear, though – vunderbar! Having grown up with turkeys and chickens and done my share of butchering, I’m still with you – shudder on having to wrangle the innards and head and anything else like feet – yuck phewy!
Your turkey looked scrumptious in the end though 🙂
MJ
I’ve been doing it for years. The pear adds a sweetness to the meat. If I have enough, I’ll tuck garlic cloves in his wings, too 🙂
Why on earth would they leave the head in…yuck…looks yummy. my brother-in-law makes Thanksgiving every year, he grills two turkeys…so yummy. He brines them first and they are so juicy!!
They eat the head and feet here in China, Cindy. I knew there’d be a head in there so I didn’t stick my hand in, lol. I used those wooden spoons to get it out. Silly that I can’t touch it, but I just can’t for some reason 🙂
I can’t believe nobody made a joke about the turkey literally having his head up his ass. Haha.
No one has as sick a humor as me and you 🙂 xoxo
Your too much. Always good for a laugh. If you want we will fix a turkey here. Regular oven.
Momma… that would be awesome… maybe we can have Nan over.
I would like that.
OK…that top shot…that is one UGLY turkey!
LOL, agreed! He didn’t have any fat on him and I spent about an hour plucking feather quills. He also had stiff leg syndrome… couldn’t get him to bend those hips for nothing!