By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
www.globalgourmets.ca michael@globalgourmets.ca
Turkey Porchetta
Every year I try, without much success I must add, to dress up the ubiquitous Christmas turkey in a different way, but sadly the traditionalists in the family usually rule the day!
This year however I am determined to pursue my endeavour to give a new spin to Christmas dinner. I immediately began the task of scouring my shelves of cookbooks and reams recipes until I came across one of my favourite and most sinful Italian dishes, Porchetta, that deliciously stuffed piece of crispy skinned roasted pork.
Why couldn’t this be applied to a large turkey breast or two? Lo and behold one of my favourite chefs on the food scene today, Mario Batali had indeed adapted this to turkey.
This week I am posting Mario’s recipe in its entirety, one that I too will use in a couple of weeks (with maybe just a couple of personal additions!).
Let me know if you like it, on the condition of course that you are able to convince your family to go along with experiment in Christmas heresy……Enjoy!
*Recipe and image by Mario Batali as shown on the Rachael Ray Show
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipe/16649_Mario_Batali_s_Oven_Roasted_Turkey_Breast_Porchetta_Style/index.html
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup EVOO – Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, removed from casings
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 3 cups 1/2-inch bread cubes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 4-pound boneless turkey half breast
Preparation
In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil and the sausages, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up the clumps of sausage, until all the pink is gone, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, shallots, garlic and fennel seeds, and cook until the onion and shallots are softened, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the sautéed onion mixture. Add the chicken broth and toss to moisten all the bread. Add the egg, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover the stuffing and refrigerate until completely cool.
Butterfly the turkey breast, leaving the skin on: Using a sharp knife, starting from the thinner long side, cut the breast horizontally in half almost but not all the way through, and open it up like a book. Pound it lightly with a meat mallet to even out the thickness and shape. Season with salt and pepper and set aside on a platter.
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for rotisserie cooking over indirect medium heat (or according to the instructions for your grill). Set up the drip pan under the center of the spit. Or, preheat an oven to 325°F.
Cut 8 or 10 long pieces of kitchen twine. Spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey breast, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Starting from a long side, roll it up like a jelly roll and tie with the twine. Brush all over with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Place the turkey breast on the spit and secure it with the clamps. Attach the spit to the rotisserie mechanism, cover the grill, and cook the turkey breast for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 155° to 160°F. If doing in the oven, roast turkey until internal temperature reaches 155°F, about an hour and 15 minutes.
Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes before carving into generous slices.
