These two recipes will allow you to embark on a culinary odyssey, through time, as they come from an old family book. Hidden within the faded, handwritten pages, which do not even stick together anymore, the art of roasting turkey to perfection in a simple way, and making rice with raisins, pine nuts, and almonds, has been preserved.

Now, it will be shared with you. These two recipes, which come from two different persons but are usually served together by my family, make a great, comforting, and very tasty meal. I hope you make the most of these dishes, which are steeped in tradition and have been passed down through generations.

Roasted Turkey and Rice with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Almonds Recipe

Ingredients

Turkey

• 1 turkey
• 1 large onion
• salt
• port wine
• margarine
• lard
• refined salt
• sea salt
• black pepper

Rice

• 1 medium sized onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• basmati rice (2 cups)
• raisins (⅔ of a tablespoon)
• pine nuts (⅔ of a tablespoon)
• sliced almonds (⅔ of a tablespoon)

Roasted Turkey Instructions

1. One day before cooking, open the turkey’s belly (make sure the turkey is fully prepared for cooking, without feathers, organs, etc) and insert the onion (peeled and sliced), one handful of sea salt, and one cup of port wine.
2. After inserting the ingredients, sew the turkey’s belly with cooking twine and let it rest inside the fridge until the next day.
3. On the day, prepare a paste with margarine, lard, refined salt, and pepper. You can use as much of each ingredient as you please. Just make sure you are able to create a paste that you like.
4. Then, spread the paste all over the turkey, put it in the preheated oven (356 Fahrenheit), and soak it with port wine from above.
5. Let the turkey cook for two hours, more or less. During those two hours, open the oven from time to time and use a spoon to shower the turkey with the port wine.

Rice Instructions

Note: If you wish to make more than 2 cups of rice, increase the quantities of the other ingredients proportionally.

1. Slice the onion and the garlic into tiny pieces. Inside a pan, put a generous quantity of olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and braise the onion.
2. When the onion is starting to get soft, join the garlic and let it cook in the olive oil until the onion is very soft and transparent (if needed, add a bit more olive oil when joining the garlic).
3. Once the onion is perfectly cooked, add the raisins, the pine nuts and the sliced almonds, mix it, and let the mixture fry for a bit (without overcooking it).
4. Then, add the rice, mix, and let the mixture fry again for a bit (without burning or letting it stick to the pan). If needed, add a little bit more olive oil, so it does not stick.
5. Then, add hot water (double the quantity of rice, for two cups of rice, four cups of water) and add a pinch of sea salt. Cover the pan with the lid but place a wooden spoon between the lid and the pan, to let the cooking breathe. Let the rice cook on low heat for 15 minutes, more or less.
6. Check the rice frequently so it does not overcook. If needed, stir very gently from time to time. Once it is done (make sure it is not completely dry, you must see a bit of moisture at the bottom of the pan when you check the rice), turn the heat off, move the pan to another area of the stove, and let it rest for another 15 minutes with the lid closed.