In Chile, the most traditional dinner for Christmas Eve is Pavo relleno con ciruelas, or oven-roasted turkey stuffed with prunes. I spent all my Christmas at my grandma's, and she and my mother were usually in charge of the menu. Like the Thanksgiving menu in the US, our Christmas Eve menu didn't change much because everyone expects their all-time favorites.
New Year's dinner is the occasion for new recipes, but don't mess with the Christmas Eve dinner.
We invited only eight adults to Thanksgiving dinner, and I didn't want to end up with tons of turkey leftovers, so this was the perfect solution. In case you are wondering, we don't celebrate or have a Thanksgiving day in Chile.
It is just crazy how my mother, grandma, and aunt were able to cook turkey, cookies, fruitcakes, and more, keeping the oven on nonstop during the summer in Chile without air conditioning.
The traditional sides for the Pavo Relleno in Chile are Papas Duquesas and braised red cabbage with apples.
Pavo Relleno Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 10
- Category: Poultry
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Description
A delicious alternative to a traditional turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 boneless turkey breast butterflied (I bought one with bone weighing 3Kg. and asked the butcher to me deboned)
- 1 package of Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup of prunes
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- ½ cup white wine or champagne
- Water 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- If the prunes are dry and hard, cover them with boiling water and let them stand for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pit and chop it small. Save the water for the sauce.
- Mix the cream cheese, chopped prunes, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Place the breast on the counter and open it. If it is thicker in some parts, cover it with plastic wrap and pound it until even thick—season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the plum mixture on top, leaving the edges free.
- Roll starting from one of the shorter sides and squeeze well.
- Tie well.
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Paint the turkey with olive oil and cover it with foil, making a seal around the roasting pan.
- Calculate 20-25 minutes per kilo of turkey (before filling).
- After the first 45 minutes, remove the foil, raise the oven temperature to 425F, and cook for 20-25 more until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 160F.
- Make the sauce: Place the water, prunes, wine, salt, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook everything for 15-20 minutes or until the desired texture is achieved. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot with turkey breast stuffed.
- Let stand for 20 minutes, cover with aluminum, cut, and serve.
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