Chef Sharaz Mohammed’s traditional stuffed Christmas turkey breast

BAVINA SOOKDEO

“As a chef I look at the kitchen as being an art gallery and when I get into there, especially early in the morning time, my ideas and creativity start to flow.

"The plate becomes my canvas and it’s my world away from everything else.” So says Sharaz Mohammed, a chef for more than 25 years.

Today, Mohammed’s schedule is a hectic one as he has a lot of dishes to prepare. The chef has been in the food industry for over 25 years and has worked at all levels, from dishwasher to executive chef. He has travelled extensively to various continents in an attempt to understand the culture, traditions and cuisine of others. Mohammed has mentored many in this industry and has taken dishwashers and trained them to become cooks, chefs and business owners.

He disclosed, “As a young adult many years ago, I couldn’t afford to go to culinary school, so I chose the path of hands-on training, which was very difficult, demanding and involved long hours, while seeing the highs and lows.”

Thanks to that type of exposure, Mohammed has trained and worked alongside some of the best local and international chefs.

In the past year he started offering cooking classes to people of all ages – from professionals such as chefs to the average food lover, children, business owners, executives and more. Based on the success and positive feedback he received, Mohammed has since started the Chef Sharaz Culinary Academy which is located upstairs Ramsingh Plaza in Chaguanas.

“My goal is to continue giving back my experience and knowledge over the years to enhance the culinary and tourism development of our country, the West Indies and anyone who is interested in their own development,” the chef noted.

Although Christmas is a hectic time for him, the chef took the time to share his traditional stuffed Christmas turkey breast recipe with us:

Ingredients

Boneless turkey breast – 3lbs (filleted and tenderised)

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp basil flakes

1 tbsp parsley flakes

1 tsp all-purpose seasoning

Salt

For the stuffing

300g crumble cornbread

100g dried cranberries

100g golden raisins

½ tbsp paprika

1 tbsp chopped garlic

3 tbsp chopped green seasoning (pimento, celery, thyme)

1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning

4 oz butter

½ cup of chicken stock or water

salt

Directions

Make a rub with the ingredients for the turkey and marinate the turkey breast.

Cook all the ingredients for the stuffing in the butter and lastly, add the chicken stock or water.

Place seasoned, tenderised turkey breast on a plastic wrap on the table and add all the stuffing evenly. Using the plastic, wrap the breast tight like a Swiss roll. You can also wrap it after with foil, place in freezer overnight and next day bake for one hour at 350°. Allow to cool and then slice.