Recipes: Turkey isn’t just for holiday feasts anymore

Save turkey for holiday feasting? Not anymore.

Turkey breast halves, roasted in less than an hour, can be the star of delicious midweek entrees. Or view those roasted turkey breasts, sliced and packaged, then stored in the freezer, as a great addition to sandwiches, as well as casseroles, pasta or salads.

Another approach to cooking turkey breast is to simmer it on top of the stove in a Mediterranean-style tomato sauce with black olives and fresh herbs. Make the sauce from scratch or buy a prepared marinara sauce. Serve the turkey sliced over hot pasta and top with sauce.

If you’re looking for a quicker approach, cook up some turkey cutlets, those thin slices of turkey breasts that cook very quickly. I like to top the cutlets with a crisp Brussels sprouts salad.

Enjoyed roasted or simmered, or sauteed as cutlets, turkey breast remains a welcome lean source of white meat protein. And it’s delectable.

Mediterranean Turkey Breast With Pasta

A boneless breast is easier to slice. You can buy them boned or ask the butcher to remove the bones. It’s not difficult to remove the bones if you have a small, sharp pointed knife. Place the uncooked half turkey breastbone side down on work surface. Starting from the breastbone, cut meat away from bone, cutting as close to the bone as possible. Use a sawing motion, pressing the flat side of the knife against the rib bones. As you cut, gently pull meat up and away from bones.

To save time, you can substitute a jar of your favorite prepared tomato-based pasta sauce, such as arrabiatta or tomato with basil and skip Step No. 2.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 boneless turkey breast half, skin on, about 1 1/2 pounds; see cook’s notes

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced ready-cut tomatoes, partially drained

1/3 cup imported black olives, such as Kalamata, pitted

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Pinch dried red chili flakes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

For serving: fettuccine or penne, cooked al dente and drained

Optional: 1/2-1 teaspoon finely minced lemon peel (zest), colored part only

Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon drained capers

Optional garnish: sprigs of fresh basil

Cook’s notes: If the turkey breast has a pop-up timer, gently remove and discard it.

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly dust turkey with flour. Heat olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add turkey breast, skin down. Brown well on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Remove turkey from pan.

2. Add garlic to pan; the oil in the pan will probably be hot enough to lightly brown the garlic after 1-2 minutes; stir it frequently. Add wine and tomatoes to pan. Return to medium-high heat. Scrape sides and bottom of pan to loosen any brown bits. Add olives, basil, oregano, chili flakes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.

3. Place turkey breast in center of sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test turkey breast for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. It should register 165 degrees in thickest part of breast. Taste sauce; adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt or pepper. If it needs a boost, add a little finely minced lemon zest.

4. Remove skin from turkey, if desired; cut into thin slices. Place hot, cooked pasta on a platter with a lip or in a large, shallow pasta bowl. Place sliced turkey on top, overlapping slightly like a fan. Spoon sauce on top. If desired, sprinkle capers on top. Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil.

Turkey Cutlets with Brussels Sprout Salad

This dish embraces homey flavors, using Brussels sprouts dressed with vinaigrette as a topping for sauteed turkey cutlets. My supermarket stocks fresh turkey cutlets about half of the time, so when I see them, I grab a package or two and keep them in the freezer to use for quick-to-prepare meals.

The easiest way to slice Brussels sprouts is to first make a shallow trim at the base where it looks tough and perhaps discolored, leaving enough so the leaves stay attached. Then load them higgledy-piggledy on their sides into the tube of a food processor fitted with the slicing blade. Buzz, buzz, buzz. In just seconds those beauties are strips of salad fixings.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 (4-ounce) turkey cutlets, pounded to a 1/4-inch thickness if needed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided use

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves

4 cups thinly sliced Brussels sprouts (from 3/4 pound)

DIRECTONS

1. Put the flour in a rimmed plate or pie pan and stir in a little salt and pepper. Season both sides of the turkey with salt and pepper. Dredge the turkey in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of oil to the preheated skillet. Put the turkey in the pan and cook until light golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, tarragon and a good pinch of salt. Add the shaved Brussels sprouts and toss to combine.

3. Put the turkey cutlets on plates, top with the Brussels sprouts salad and serve.

Source:  Adapted from “5 in 5,” by Michael Symon (Clarkson Potter, $19.99)

Butter-Roasted Turkey Breast

For me, having sliced roasted turkey breast in small packages in the freezer is a real treasure. This roasting method is easy peasy. Rubbed with butter, both under the skin and all over the outside, this technique roasts the bone-in buttered breast atop a bed of crushed-to-flatten garlic cloves, fresh rosemary and fresh thyme. For the first serving, it’s enjoyed for dinner. The leftovers are sliced and packaged 3 to 5 slices per pack in plastic wrap. The packages are tossed into a zipper-style freezer bag, zipped up and put in the freezer for future use. I thaw them generally one by one overnight in the fridge.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 bone-in, skin-on turkey breast, about 3 1/2 pounds

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature

Salt (kosher preferred) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 good-sized sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

6 large garlic cloves, peeled, crushed to flatten

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle or lower middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Gently loosen skin from turkey breast and rub butter under skin and all over the outside of the breast. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Place thyme, rosemary and garlic on medium-sized rimmed baking sheet and place turkey, skin-side up on top. Roast turkey breast for 55 minutes, turning after 35 minutes. Using an instant-read thermometer, test the internal temperature of the thickest portion of the turkey breast. It needs to be 165 degrees. Allow turkey to rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings.

Source: Adapted from epicurious.com