Last Sunday morning at the cottage, I was warming my hands up with a cup of coffee when I noticed out of the corner my eye, a dark shape moving around in the backyard. I figured it was our local bear making his morning pilgrimage to the breakfast buffet – the neighbour’s compost pile. But when I wiped the sleep from my eyes I realized it wasn’t Smokey but 2 wild turkeys strutting their stuff. Now personally if it was coming up to the time of year when I was fêted and admired the world over and then roasted in the oven, I wouldn’t be doing the two step in front of the very audience that wanted to smother me in cranberry sauce!

None the less, the kids squealed with delight at the turkeys who quickly took off into the bush but not before they left their calling card in the form of a few feathers. So a good day for all last Sunday; the kids got something cool to take to Show & Tell, I was inspired to find this great recipe for Dried Fig & Pork Stuffing and the turkeys…
Well they lived to strut another day, just!

Dried Fig and Pork Stuffing
Makes enough stuffing for a 4kg turkey

Preparation Time: 10 minutes + standing
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Notes: This stuffing can be made a day ahead; refrigerate, covered, separately from the turkey. Fill the turkey close to cooking. Once cooked and carved ay remaining turkey should have the stuffing removed from both cavities; both turkey and the stuffing should be covered, separately and refrigerated as soon as possible after being served.

Ingredients:

½ cup dried figs, chopped coarsely
½ cup pitted prunes, chopped coarsely
¾ cup (180ml) port
50g butter
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g breakfast sausage, casings removed
250g ground pork
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (pulse day old sandwich bread in a food processor until fine crumbs)
½ cup roasted pistachios (optional)
1 egg, beaten lightly
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley)

Combine fruit and port in small bowl; cover, stand 3 hours or overnight. Drain fruit over small bowl; reserve both fruit and port, separately.

Melt butter in large frying pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Add ground pork and sausage meat, cook, stirring, until browned; transfer to large bowl.

Add reserved port to same pan; cook, stirring, until port reduces by half. Add port to meat mixture with remaining ingredients; stir until well combined.