Cookbook:Turkey with Plantain Stuffing (Pavo Relleno de Mofongo)

| Cuisine of Puerto Rico

This recipe for pavo relleno de mofongo was submitted by Brenda Ortiz Valle, who said the following:"'This recipe is my mom's, Aida E Valle, special Turkey recipe. The best I have tasted in my life!!'"

Filling

 * 3 medium to large green plantains
 * 2 cups canola oil
 * 1 large tomato, diced
 * 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch squares
 * 1 green bell pepper, cut into ½-inch squares
 * 2 cloves of garlic, minced
 * ¼ cup olive oil
 * 2 tbsp adobo

Turkey

 * ½ cup olive oil
 * ¼ cup red wine vinegar
 * 2 tbsp adobo
 * 2 tbsp oregano
 * 1 tbsp salt
 * 1 tbsp of ground pepper
 * 2 packages of ground "cubitos" (Cubitos en polvo—chicken bouillon cubes)
 * 2 packages of uncolored sazon (sazon sin achiote—uncolored seasoned salt. Goya is a typical brand.)
 * 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
 * 1 whole turkey (15 lbs)

Filling

 * 1) Peel plantains and slice into 1-inch chunks.
 * 2) Add 2 cups canola oil to a medium-size frying pan. Set stove to medium-high and heat the frying pan for about 5 minutes.
 * 3) Add plantains and fry until they are golden brown. Drain them on paper towels or brown paper bags.
 * 4) Squash plantains one-by-one using a mortar, and place into a medium size bowl.
 * 5) Add, tomato, red and green pepper, garlic, olive oil, and adobo to the bowl containing the squashed plantains, then mix.

Turkey

 * 1) In a small bowl mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, adobo, oregano, salt, ground pepper, "cubitos", "sazon", and garlic.
 * 2) With a sharp knife, make incisions in different places of the turkey.
 * 3) Use seasoning mixture to season whole turkey, inside and out. If you need more seasoning mix, repeat first step.
 * 4) Cover turkey with aluminum foil and refrigerate until it absorbs the seasoning, at least 2–4 hours, preferably overnight.
 * 5) Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
 * 6) Fill turkey with plantain filling. Cover, the turkey filling opening with kitchen thread.
 * 7) Cover turkey with aluminum foil and place turkey in preheated oven.
 * 8) Leave turkey within the first 2 hours without removing aluminum foil. After 2 hours, remove aluminum foil and turn in ½ hour intervals for two hours. Use the turkey drippings to moist turkey while cooking.
 * 9) Set oven to broil for 20 minutes each side.