Turkey isn’t
just for Christmas dinner, and if you fancy something a little different to the
traditional roast, try this fresher tasting alternative. It only uses the
breast, so it's perfect if you're only 2-3 people. This is from Yotam Ottolenghi's the cookbook.
4 tbsp mint leaves (it really
annoys me when recipes require teaspoons of a herb. One basil leaf is the size
of – or bigger than – a teaspoon. Same for a mint leaf. I took a couple of
springs, stripped and chopped them.
Either put all the ingredients
except the turkey breast in a food processor or blender and blitz for 1-2
minutes to get a smooth marinade or mash it up using a pestle and mortar.
This latter option reduces the amount of washing up! If you are going to use
the pestle and mortar too, add the wine at the end, only. Doing it
this way results in a more chunky marinade.
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| Ottolenghi's marinade for roast turkey |
Put
the turkey in a non-metallic container and pour the marinade over it. Massage
the marinade into the meat, cover the container and leave in the fridge for 24
hours or however long you have (only up to 24 hours – please do not cook or eat
anything, especially meat, that’s been basking in your fridge for a long
time!).
As a complete aside, I heard some about competition thing on the radio once, where people had to ring in and complete the sentence “you know your marriage is in trouble when…”. One of the entrants was “you watch your husband prepare the Christmas turkey, and you're jealous as the turkey is getting more action than you.” Ho ho ho.
As a complete aside, I heard some about competition thing on the radio once, where people had to ring in and complete the sentence “you know your marriage is in trouble when…”. One of the entrants was “you watch your husband prepare the Christmas turkey, and you're jealous as the turkey is getting more action than you.” Ho ho ho.
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| The turkey breast, marinading |
Anyway, when you’ve marinated your turkey, preheat your oven to
220°C. It starts getting a bit diva-ish at this stage, as you've the change the temperature every 15 minutes for the next half an hour, so put a reminder on your phone to keep yourself reminded.
Ottolenghi says to remove the turkey from the marinade (keep the marinade for later) and put it on a roasting tray. I kept the turkey in the marinade and cooked it the way he suggests: put it in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce them temperature to 200°C. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature again to 180°C. Cook it at this temperature until the turkey is done — another 30-45 minutes. To check, the turkey is cooked, stick a small knife all the way into the centre; it should come out hot. If the meat goes dark before it is ready, cover it will foil.
Ottolenghi says to remove the turkey from the marinade (keep the marinade for later) and put it on a roasting tray. I kept the turkey in the marinade and cooked it the way he suggests: put it in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce them temperature to 200°C. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature again to 180°C. Cook it at this temperature until the turkey is done — another 30-45 minutes. To check, the turkey is cooked, stick a small knife all the way into the centre; it should come out hot. If the meat goes dark before it is ready, cover it will foil.
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| The roasted, marinated turkey breast |
If you decide to remove the turkey from the marinade, put the leftover marinade in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced by about half. Taste and
season with some more salt and pepper.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it thinly and serve with the warm sauce.
I've also tried the sumac chicken from this book.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it thinly and serve with the warm sauce.
I've also tried the sumac chicken from this book.
