Italian American Turkey Breast
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Loading...Italian American Turkey Breast is a recipe that I invented to create an ideal gastronomic meeting point between two different ways of preparing the “holiday turkey”. Surely Americans are masters of Thanksgiving lunch: their turkeys are huge, succulent, regal. Italian cooking involves turkey at Christmas, but we usually cook our birds in pieces, favoring the breast or leg In this case I took an inside breast and, after doing a good research on the classic Thanksgiving recipes, I tried to cook it in the best American way by foreseeing the frost and using a lot of butter to give flavor. The result is so encouraging that I will definitely be cooking this turkey next Christmas
Ingredients
- For the Brine
- Salt 3 tablespoons
- Brown Sugar 3 tablespoons
- Pepper 1 teaspoon
- For the Turkey
- Turkey Breast 1.200kg
- Butter 100 gr
- Rosemary, Sage, Bay Leaves 50gr finely chopped (approximately 5 tablespoons)
- For the Gravy
- Butter 100gr
- White Flour 30gr
- Stock
- For the Side Veggies
- Potatoes 4 large
- Carrots 4
- Pumpkin Squash 4 large pieces
- Apples 2
- Fennel 1
- Onions 2
Instructions
The day before let’s start with the “brine”: wash, dry and tie the turkey breast with kitchen twine to keep it in shape. Prepare a mixture with salt, brown sugar and pepper and sprinkle it on the turkey, massaging it and distributing all over the entire surface. Cover the meat and keep it in the fridge for 16/24 hours: in this way it will flavor perfectly but above all, thanks to the salt, it will lose the excess liquids that make it chewy
The next day, prepare the flavored butter: let the butter soften at room temperature and in the meantime chop super finely rosemary, sage and bay leaves. Add the aromatic powder to the butter, season with salt and pepper and mix for a long time, using a fork, working the mixture until it has the soft and smooth consistency of an “ointment”
Take the breast from the tray (on which a lot of liquid has settled, you will also notice that the turkey has a darker color) and dry it very, very well with kitchen paper: pay attention to this step because if the meat is wet the butter does not adhere
When the turkey is perfectly dry, cover it completely with the flavored butter. Place it on a plate lined with parchment paper and place it in a preheated oven at 180° /375 F for about 40 minutes, covered with aluminum foil. Turn it halfway through cooking
While the turkey is in the oven, peel and slice potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, onions, fennel and apples, flavor them with oil, salt and pepper and cook them on another tray, still in the oven, for at least 25 minutes
After cooking, let the turkey cool in aluminum foil before cutting it
In the meantime, prepare the "gravy" by collecting all the cooking juices in a container. Then melt the butter over a low heat and add all the flour in one go. Stir vigorously with a whisk to create the “roux” which will be cooked when it has reached a nice nut color, but be careful that it does not burn. Then add the cooking juices, mix well and complete with a little broth to obtain a sauce with the right consistency. Salt and Pepper to taste
Notes
Italian American Turkey breast is very simple but highly effective: the turkey meat is not very tasty and rather stringy, but the butter and the aromas give it a really pleasant touch that everyone agrees on. Pay attention to cooking times: I help myself with a thermometer to prevent the meat from overcooking and becoming dry. I hope for you that you will be able to save some turkey for an excellent sandwich with salad, gherkins and mustard, in the most classic American style!
ItalianCookingTips
Aromatic butter is an excellent ally when cooking a single piece of meat in the oven. You can prepare plenty of it: give the shape of a loaf to what you don’t use and leave it to cool in the fridge so that it hardens well before serving
ItalianCookingTips
The choice of herbs that flavor butter and turkey must follow your taste: I prefer the classic Italian mix that includes sage, rosemary and bay leaf. You can add cumin seeds, fennel, coriander, or juniper berries for a spicier touch
ItalianCookingTips
In choosing your side vegetables, follow your tastes and what you have in the fridge. I recommend the inevitable potatoes, carrots and pumpkin that give color, fennel for a spicy touch and apples, which add a sweet freshness
ItalianCookingTips
This recipe is full of butter! If you want to obtain a lighter “gravy”, mix the cooking juices of the turkey well with one or two ladles of broth, then add a teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce
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