Tired of fish and chicken? Break out the turkey, my friends. As versatile as chicken but with a more distinctive flavor, this is a wonderful treat that we really ought to eat more than twice a year. But, since it's that time of year when we would be eating it anyway, I'll save the lecture.
I'm actually going to put two recipes in this post, both for turkey. The first is for rolled turkey breasts and the second is for turkey meatballs. The rolled turkey breasts are a fancy entree - for a little bit of work you can have a spectacular dish that will wow guests, and no one will blame your low-fat diet for providing them with a bad meal. This particular recipe is an Anna Olson creation. Here's the link to the original recipe page: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/turkey-and-trimming-pinwheels/recipe.html?dishID=8950
The meatballs are a great New Years dish. I got the idea for this from a recent Pampered Chef recipe. I sell Pampered Chef products and every 6 months they release a new, mini recipe book and I host a tasting party to try out the recipes. Their Fall issue included a number of tapenades and a go-with recipe for turkey meatballs. My favorites were the Apple Walnut tapenade meatballs and the Apricot Fig tapenade meatballs. My recipe is a more festive spin on those! (For anyone who is interested, the Season's Best Recipe Book, Fall/Winter 2011 is the book that has the tapenade recipes)
*Lots of grocers with in-house butchers will have ground turkey on sale after Christmas. You can find ground turkey with a variety of fat contents, so make sure you check that out before you buy. Some people suffering from gallstones can get away with dark turkey meat, but other 'stoners' and people with MS will want to opt for the lower-fat ground turkey breast. I highly recommend stocking up on cheap ground turkey when you can find it, because it will be months before you see it again.
Turkey and Trimming Pinwheels
2 tbsp olive oil
1 c. finely diced onion
2/3 c. finely diced celery
2 tsp fresh sage
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c. dry breadcrumbs
4 to 6 tbsp chicken stock
1/3 c. coarsley chopped cranberries
4 portions turkey scallopini
4 to 6 rosemary stems, cut into 2-inch lengths
In a large saute pan heat oil and add onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring often. Add sage, thyme and salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs, stock and cranberries and stir until moistened.
Layer one sheet of parchment paper on top of one sheet of aluminum foil (make sure the length is longer than your turkey pieces). Lay the turkey flat and press a thin layer of breadcrumb mixture overtop. Roll like a jellyroll, wrap in the foil/parchment package and twist ends tight. Place on a baking tray and repeat with remaining turkey.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes (make sure the turkey is done cooking!)
When cool enough to handle, slice each turkey log into 1/2 inch slices. Remove bottom half of rosemary leaves and spear turkey onto the rosemary from the top down.
Serve cool or heated.
Cranberry Walnut Turkey Meatballs
Tapenade:
1 red delicious apple
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. toasted pecans
1/4 c. snipped parsley
1/3 c. dried figs
zest and juice of one lemon
1 tbsp honey
Finely chop apples, cranberries, pecans, figs and parsley. Combine all of the above ingredients.
Meatballs:
1 lbs lean ground turkey
1 piece bread
1 egg (or 1/4 c. egg white substitute)
1 c. + 1/4 c. tapenade
2 tbsp apple jelly (microwaved for 15 seconds to become thin)
Grind bread into fine crumbs. Combine turkey, 1 c. tapenade, breadcrumbs and egg. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Toss balls in remaining 1/4 c. tapenade and apple jelly. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cooked through (or microwave in a safe container for 7 - 9 minutes)
Happy turkeying!
Mrs. VanderLeek
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