PORTUGUESE TURKEY WITH BREAD STUFFING

Portuguese Turkey With Bread Stuffing image

Provided by Isabel Costa

Time 3h20m

Yield 20 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 12-pound turkeys
Salt to taste
2 bottles dry white wine
8 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
Turkey stuffing (see recipe)
Bread crusts to cover cavity opening
1 pound sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

Steps:

Soak turkeys in salted water under refrigeration for 24 hours.
Combine wine, garlic, paprika, bay leaves, salt, hot pepper sauce and oregano. Marinate turkeys in this mixture for 24 hours under refrigeration. Turn occasionally.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove turkeys from marinade, reserving marinade. Pack turkeys loosely with stuffing and cover openings of cavities with bread crusts; sew cavities closed. Bake remaining stuffing separately during the last half-hour turkeys are roasting.
Wrap turkey wings in foil. Put turkeys into roasting pans and top with pieces of bacon, putting some beneath turkeys as well. Pour reserved marinade over turkeys.
Roast turkeys for 30 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and roast turkeys about 2 1/2 hours more. If turkeys get too brown before they are cooked, put aluminum foil over the top. If turkeys are roasted in a single oven, they may need 30 minutes or more of extra roasting time.