March 31st, 2008
This is an interesting take on saltimbocca as we use turkey here instead of chicken or veal. It yields a juicy yet lean meat dish that can be served with a myriad pasta dishes or on its own with extra fennel/peas. I made a spinach ricotta gnocchi with it and it was a delightful match.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
6 turkey breasts, pounded thin with a meat mallot, or purchased as scallopine
12 thin slices prosciutto
24 sage leaves
salt and pepper
3 bulbs fennel
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour for coating meat
2/3 cup clarified butter
2 cups frozen shelled peas
3 oz dry marsala
3 oz dry white wine
2 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
squeeze of lemon juice
To make the clarified butter:
Clarified butter is essentially the butter fat exclusively, with the milk fat and water removed from the butter. Because it has a higher smoke point than regular butter, it is less likely to burn. When making dishes that require high heat, like a saute, clarified butter can be useful.
Heat your butter in a sauce pan slowly, until the milk fat rises to the top. Skim the milk fat off with a spoon and then slowly pour the remaining butter through a sieve on top of a liquid measure. Be sure that the sieve is trapping any solids and you just have pure, clarified butter remaining. Set aside for future use. I found a great video that shows you how to make it, it’s quite simple actually, it just requires a bit of care. If you need a bit of clarified butter assistance, check it out.
Season turkey breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay two pieces of prosciutto and a couple of sage leaves on top of each turkey breast and press in so that they stick. Set aside.
Cut each fennel bulb into four thick slices but leave attached at the base. Blanch the bulbs in lightly salted boiling water until just tender. Be careful not to overcook. Drain thoroughly and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute the fennel slices for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Take out your frozen peas and pour them into a bowl to thaw. If they become too watery, pat them dry with a paper towel. Place fennel in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the turkey.
Lightly dust each turkey slice with flour. Heat the clarified butter in a pan and quickly add the slices of turkey, prosciutto side down, and allow to cook for 3 minutes on each side. Combine the marsala and wine in a bowl. Turn the heat for your pan to high and pour the marsala/wine mixture into the pan. Remove the turkey slices and add butter and lemon juice to the pan with the marsala/wine. Taste for salt. Warm up the peas in the microwave for about two minutes.
Arrange a platter with a bed of peas and place the turkey breasts and warmed fennel on top. Spoon the sauce on top. Enjoy!
This recipe is adapted from my favorite cook book, Coast: Seaside recipes from Australia’s leading chefs.
Related Posts:
10 Uncommon Thanksgiving Recipes (Savory Spinach-Artichoke Stuffing, Turkey Saltimbocca and More)Garlic Chicken Breasts with Sauteed Fennel and SpaghettiTurkey Burgers Stuffed with Sundried Tomato, Olives and Thyme
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