Turkey stuffed with cuscussó

Ingredients:
1 turkey, 1 glass of rancio wine or dry sherry, salt, pepper.

For the cuscussó: 1 kg of unsalted bread, made specifically for this sweet, 1/2 kg almonds, 1 kg sugar, 300 g pork lard, water, raisins, pine nuts, candied fruit, grated lemon zest and cinnamon.

Cuscussó:
In a saucepan, melt the sugar with a glass of water; it should dissolve without turning into syrup. Add the pork lard, raisins, pine nuts, cinnamon and grated lemon zest. Stir for a couple of minutes, remove from the heat and work the mixture off the stove, without letting it cool, as it must remain hot in order to shape it.

Preparation:
Stuff the turkey or capon —cleaned and boned; this can be done by the butcher— with the cuscussó and sew it up with kitchen string.

Place it in a clay dish and put it in the oven over medium to low heat; it should cook for more than a couple of hours.

The dish should be well greased with lard, and the turkey should be basted with rancio wine, dry sherry or brandy. Check from time to time to make sure it does not dry out.

During the last half hour of cooking, peeled is not required: add local potatoes, cleaned but unpeeled, simply seasoned with salt and a little lemon.

To prevent the turkey from burning due to the oven’s heat, it can be covered with aluminium foil and uncovered for the final half hour; if a more roasted finish is desired, turn on the grill for the last fifteen minutes.