Roast Turkey with Challah Stuffing, Roasted Grape and Chestnut Gravy

Name: Roast Turkey with Challah Stuffing, Roasted Grape and Chestnut Gravy
Yield: Yield: 8 to 10 Servings
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons mild olive oil; 1 cup thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only); 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves; 2 teaspoons balsamic or sherry vinegar; 1 cup chicken broth; 4 cups chopped onion; Additional grape clusters or herb sprigs, for garnish; ⅓ cup coarsely chopped garlic (6 to 9 fat cloves); ¾ cup mild olive oil; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves; 2 cups toasted challah cubes (from the challah loaf); 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves; ½ cup black or Concord grapes, halved and pitted; 3 cups chicken broth; 3 tablespoons Marsala or Cognac; 1½ cups whole chestnuts, cooked and peeled (frozen, vacuum-packed, jarred or canned are fine for peeling raw chestnuts, then simmer the shelled nuts in water until tender); 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably smoked; 1 cup whole black or Concord grapes; Remaining bread cubes from the challah loaf; 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves; 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme leaves; 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage; 1 cup coarsely chopped shallots; One 12- to 14-pound fresh-killed turkey; 1 small loaf challah (about ¾ pound), to be divided for the flavor paste and stuffing; 3 to 4 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality, low-sodium purchased; 1 tablespoon plus; ¾ cup coarsely chopped garlic; 1 large egg, beaten

Preparation info

Yield:
8 to 10
Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Jewish Holiday Cooking

By Jayne Cohen

Published 2008

About

Purim food metaphors are pretty straightforward. We eat grains and legumes because that’s what Queen Esther did; in devouring pastries shaped like various parts of Haman, we swallow up our enemy; sweets are the taste of victory over forces that sought to destroy us.

But how did turkey, a bird that began in North America, become a symbol of King Ahasuerus of Persia?

His “bird brain” is one answer. While the chicken is no rocket scientist, the turkey has a reputation as a part

Ingredients

Americas
United States
Dinner
Thanksgiving

Ingredients

Method