You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast from News Talks at B caught.

You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast from News Talks at B caught.

It to ten on News Talks hed V. Time to catch up with our cook, Nikki Wicks for one of her most important segments of the whole year. Good morning, Nikki, Good morning.

It to ten on News Talks hed V. Time to catch up with our cook, Nikki Wicks for one of her most important segments of the whole year. Good morning, Nikki, Good morning.

It sort of is, isn't it It is? This is key. This is you know, we don't get this right.

It sort of is, isn't it It is? This is key. This is you know, we don't get this right.

So are you just to be totally clear, are you a turkey person? Because I realize that not everyone is.

So are you just to be totally clear, are you a turkey person? Because I realize that not everyone is.

I am a turkey person, and I'm one of about two hundred thousand households in New Zealand at Christmas time who are turkey people? What I'd have to say is we often start off our Christmas menu discussions in our family with oh, let's not do the turkey, and they all that we always end up back at the turkey.

I am a turkey person, and I'm one of about two hundred thousand households in New Zealand at Christmas time who are turkey people? What I'd have to say is we often start off our Christmas menu discussions in our family with oh, let's not do the turkey, and they all that we always end up back at the turkey.

Yeah, are you a I'm a massive turkey person. I am reckon. Turkey is a Well. The thing with your turkey is that a really good turkey is almost impossible to beat. But a bad turkey is not great. You know, it's rough, it's pretty rough to just look. Especially it's dry. The moisture, I feel like the moisture and turkey. Sorry, I feel really strongly that the moisture in turkey is like it's maybe more critical than almost any other meat except fish. You know, like if it's dry, it's.

Yeah, are you a I'm a massive turkey person. I am reckon. Turkey is a Well. The thing with your turkey is that a really good turkey is almost impossible to beat. But a bad turkey is not great. You know, it's rough, it's pretty rough to just look. Especially it's dry. The moisture, I feel like the moisture and turkey. Sorry, I feel really strongly that the moisture in turkey is like it's maybe more critical than almost any other meat except fish. You know, like if it's dry, it's.

Just it's almost impossible. You end up chewing on this kind of cud, don't you that never had to go anywhere?

Just it's almost impossible. You end up chewing on this kind of cud, don't you that never had to go anywhere?

You know it is turkey. I like it.

You know it is turkey. I like it.

Or you've started something there, I love it. I'm with you. So if you can get it right. There's no flavor like turkey. There was no flavor. I just this this week, I made some little turkey pies for our local indoor bowling club because it was their Christmas dinner and I always cater for it, just for fun. And what I did was I went to a place where you could buy just the turkey wings, and I bought packets of turkey wings and they were the best. I'd already bought my big turkey. Now rather thought, gosh, these would be good, and it's only twelve with these indoor bowlers, so I just wanted a short small amount. Braised them and then took the cover off and roasted them, got some color on them and stripped them off. Oh, because the turkey wings are fantastic, They're full of fat, they're you know, they're great, and they were really good. So if you're having a slightly smaller Christmas gathering this year, I would recommend it.

Or you've started something there, I love it. I'm with you. So if you can get it right. There's no flavor like turkey. There was no flavor. I just this this week, I made some little turkey pies for our local indoor bowling club because it was their Christmas dinner and I always cater for it, just for fun. And what I did was I went to a place where you could buy just the turkey wings, and I bought packets of turkey wings and they were the best. I'd already bought my big turkey. Now rather thought, gosh, these would be good, and it's only twelve with these indoor bowlers, so I just wanted a short small amount. Braised them and then took the cover off and roasted them, got some color on them and stripped them off. Oh, because the turkey wings are fantastic, They're full of fat, they're you know, they're great, and they were really good. So if you're having a slightly smaller Christmas gathering this year, I would recommend it.

Don't do the whole bird. Yeah, don't do the whole bird.

Don't do the whole bird. Yeah, don't do the whole bird.

But anyway, here's what to do if you have got the whole bird, as I have and as your family will have, how to keep the damn thing from drying out. This is my top tip. This is the first of my top tips. I stuffed stuff under the skin of the breast, okay, because that's the bit that dries out. The legs, the thighs, that's all fine, but they take a lot longer to So this is the trick. Who butter Maybe put some chopped spinach in there, because spinach raw spinach, it has lots of water in it, which is great, and then melds into that breast point. Yeah, of course, Yeah, sausage some people go for. Some people laid bacon over the top. Mum used to do a little bit of butter pape over the top. So things like that. Stuff something under the breast or over top of it and that'll keep it. Consider cooking it in a large oven bag. I did this once for a cooking a food shoot many years ago for this weekly. The whole thing was so tender that it all collapsed. It was terrible to shoot. We had to sort of put it together like we were all papedic surgeons.

But anyway, here's what to do if you have got the whole bird, as I have and as your family will have, how to keep the damn thing from drying out. This is my top tip. This is the first of my top tips. I stuffed stuff under the skin of the breast, okay, because that's the bit that dries out. The legs, the thighs, that's all fine, but they take a lot longer to So this is the trick. Who butter Maybe put some chopped spinach in there, because spinach raw spinach, it has lots of water in it, which is great, and then melds into that breast point. Yeah, of course, Yeah, sausage some people go for. Some people laid bacon over the top. Mum used to do a little bit of butter pape over the top. So things like that. Stuff something under the breast or over top of it and that'll keep it. Consider cooking it in a large oven bag. I did this once for a cooking a food shoot many years ago for this weekly. The whole thing was so tender that it all collapsed. It was terrible to shoot. We had to sort of put it together like we were all papedic surgeons.

Here's the thing, this is what we do in the tame household. And when I say, well, of course, it's my beloved mum, No, she's absolutely swears by using a large oven bag and it's so moist as a result.

Here's the thing, this is what we do in the tame household. And when I say, well, of course, it's my beloved mum, No, she's absolutely swears by using a large oven bag and it's so moist as a result.

Nothing bad can happen in that bag. So do that. I think that's good. Also, when you bring the two key out to rest it, rest it on its breast, so flip it up. We often we often have it breast up because that's the way was of course to rest it, and all the juices run into the white meat, which is fantastic.

Nothing bad can happen in that bag. So do that. I think that's good. Also, when you bring the two key out to rest it, rest it on its breast, so flip it up. We often we often have it breast up because that's the way was of course to rest it, and all the juices run into the white meat, which is fantastic.

The second point, so just flip it round so it's.

The second point, so just flip it round so it's.

So it's got back up top breast down, and then when you can serve it, you can turn it up. But once while it's resting, do that. People also talk about brining. I've never had much successful it, mostly because turkeys are large birds to wrangle, and so you've got to essentially put them in a really large container to brine it whole, and then that container needs to go into a large fridge. Well, hello, unless you've got a chill it for me. So those other tips will keep it from drying out. Stuffing Jack, you've got your bread crumb based one with herbs and onions, et cetera in there. What I want to tell people is make sure that you soak the crumbs in milk for a start off. Because bread crumbs either fresh. You always be using fresh bread crumbs. But what they do is, if you think about it, they want to shloop up juices, which is good, but it can make it dry out as well because it's slooping up juices from your turkey. So soak those bread crumbs that you're going to use for your stuffing in some milk first. You just need to just cover them milk and they'll and then they'll swell up and they'll be nice and moist. You can use sausage or other ground meat is really great. You could use rice and mushrooms that kind of ChIL eat so and corn bread. I have had that before. I've done that before, but I've had to buy the corn make the corn bread first, and that's a pain, but that's quite nice. And then I also consider a punch of kind of sweetness like a currant or some cranberries or maybe some chopped up apple and that stuffing, which is great gravy. I mean, you want to when you are rosy bird, you want to make sure that you put some chopped onions in there. Turkey cooks for a long time, so you can just have or quarter the onions because they're going to give you some really great flavor with some with some of those scrapings from the pan. That is the only drawback of using a bag jack. And I don't know what your mum does, but you don't get any of those. You get lots of juice in the bag, which you can use for the gravy, but you don't get any of those gnarly kind of caramelized bits the roasting dish. True, so you know, so that's the only drawback you can get around that.

So it's got back up top breast down, and then when you can serve it, you can turn it up. But once while it's resting, do that. People also talk about brining. I've never had much successful it, mostly because turkeys are large birds to wrangle, and so you've got to essentially put them in a really large container to brine it whole, and then that container needs to go into a large fridge. Well, hello, unless you've got a chill it for me. So those other tips will keep it from drying out. Stuffing Jack, you've got your bread crumb based one with herbs and onions, et cetera in there. What I want to tell people is make sure that you soak the crumbs in milk for a start off. Because bread crumbs either fresh. You always be using fresh bread crumbs. But what they do is, if you think about it, they want to shloop up juices, which is good, but it can make it dry out as well because it's slooping up juices from your turkey. So soak those bread crumbs that you're going to use for your stuffing in some milk first. You just need to just cover them milk and they'll and then they'll swell up and they'll be nice and moist. You can use sausage or other ground meat is really great. You could use rice and mushrooms that kind of ChIL eat so and corn bread. I have had that before. I've done that before, but I've had to buy the corn make the corn bread first, and that's a pain, but that's quite nice. And then I also consider a punch of kind of sweetness like a currant or some cranberries or maybe some chopped up apple and that stuffing, which is great gravy. I mean, you want to when you are rosy bird, you want to make sure that you put some chopped onions in there. Turkey cooks for a long time, so you can just have or quarter the onions because they're going to give you some really great flavor with some with some of those scrapings from the pan. That is the only drawback of using a bag jack. And I don't know what your mum does, but you don't get any of those. You get lots of juice in the bag, which you can use for the gravy, but you don't get any of those gnarly kind of caramelized bits the roasting dish. True, so you know, so that's the only drawback you can get around that.

True.

True.

I use cord of cover of plain flour and the roasting dish. I mixed that to a bit of a paste with all those pans scrapings. Always add a splash of wine or bubbles, because it just tastes good. It's a sort of mysterious flavor. Even if you've got people who are non non alcohol drinkers, you've got to just that off. It's fine, you know, it cooks off. All the alcohol cooks off in about a minute. Then add some stock or some veggie water from them new potatoes and the peas or something, or even some plain water and some seasoning, and then you want to really cook that out well for sort of five to six to you know, get a nice dark lumfrey gravy leftovers. That's what I love about a turkey make a pie because suddenly that breast meat is surrounded by beautiful kind of white white sauce or not quite a white sauce, but you know that well wine saw the gravy, you know, kind of just beef up the gravy a bit. I also love frying the turkey meat in a pan jack until with a bit of a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, so it was slightly crispy at the you know, in the edges, and then scattered that, you know, over some little baby spinach leaves or what what's wrong with just a white, soft, white roll stuffed with warm the role. Yeah, with lettuce, warmsh turkey and some leftover gravy. There is nothing like it.

I use cord of cover of plain flour and the roasting dish. I mixed that to a bit of a paste with all those pans scrapings. Always add a splash of wine or bubbles, because it just tastes good. It's a sort of mysterious flavor. Even if you've got people who are non non alcohol drinkers, you've got to just that off. It's fine, you know, it cooks off. All the alcohol cooks off in about a minute. Then add some stock or some veggie water from them new potatoes and the peas or something, or even some plain water and some seasoning, and then you want to really cook that out well for sort of five to six to you know, get a nice dark lumfrey gravy leftovers. That's what I love about a turkey make a pie because suddenly that breast meat is surrounded by beautiful kind of white white sauce or not quite a white sauce, but you know that well wine saw the gravy, you know, kind of just beef up the gravy a bit. I also love frying the turkey meat in a pan jack until with a bit of a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, so it was slightly crispy at the you know, in the edges, and then scattered that, you know, over some little baby spinach leaves or what what's wrong with just a white, soft, white roll stuffed with warm the role. Yeah, with lettuce, warmsh turkey and some leftover gravy. There is nothing like it.

Can I just add to that a little bit of cranberry sauce and maybe a sliver of brie and.

Can I just add to that a little bit of cranberry sauce and maybe a sliver of brie and.

From Christ of course you're going to bree and the cranberry's so good.

From Christ of course you're going to bree and the cranberry's so good.

Oh man, I'm celibating.

Oh man, I'm celibating.

I don't mean, I mean, how excited are we?

I don't mean, I mean, how excited are we?

Yeah?

Yeah?

You know you can have your hands. I glazed your ham on Instagram?

You know you can have your hands. I glazed your ham on Instagram?

Of course.

Of course.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. I should wear my dogs more often than those videos through the roof. And you can have all your fancy other stuff we'll have. We'll be having non traditional stuff on our table too, but I think you've got to have something a little bit.

Yeah. I should wear my dogs more often than those videos through the roof. And you can have all your fancy other stuff we'll have. We'll be having non traditional stuff on our table too, but I think you've got to have something a little bit.

I totally agree. Look, we're going to put all of those tips for nailing your Christmas turkey up on the news talks Zbig website. Thank you so much for everything this year, Niki, and we will catch you again in twenty twenty five. NICKI wix cook there right now, it is seven minus to ten. You a Jack Tame on Newstalk's 'db.

I totally agree. Look, we're going to put all of those tips for nailing your Christmas turkey up on the news talks Zbig website. Thank you so much for everything this year, Niki, and we will catch you again in twenty twenty five. NICKI wix cook there right now, it is seven minus to ten. You a Jack Tame on Newstalk's 'db.

For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live to Newstalks. I'd be from nine am Saturday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio

For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live to Newstalks. I'd be from nine am Saturday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio