Turkey Saltimbocca Roll-Ups, Mushroom and White Bean Ragout, and Spinach with Pancetta and Onions

WOW!! That is a mouthful! When I first read recipe #18 I had to check the front of the book to make sure that I was reading the right one. This just seemed like a very difficult, loooooooooong recipe. Don't get me wrong, it sounded awesome, but it just looked very difficult. True it does seem to be the most complex Rachael recipe I have done of so far. But the work sure pays off in the end. Plus I have the world's greatest sous chef/boyfriend (thank Goodness!!).

Like I said, this is a long recipe, so don't let the length of it, or amount of pans you will have going at once, scare you off. I was really quite proud of myself once I got it going. My nerves gave way and then I was just downright excited to get it done and in my belly!

Kevin and I prepped everything before hand, so I really didn't cook the "Rachael way" for this one. I just figured if all of the prep work was done BEFORE I started cooking I would be less stressed out about getting everything in the right pan at the right time.

Again a recipe that called for turkey cutlets, and again not a turkey cutlet to be found in the whole town. Luckily for me the store had some HUGE chicken  breasts on sale. I needed 12 cutlets, so I grabbed 3 of the gigantic breasts and tracked down my friendly butcher to get them sliced into 4 cutlets each.

Once I got them home it was really easy to pound them out for the roll-ups. I will admit that I doubled up on the prosciutto for each roll-ups. I just like that saltiness it adds and since there is no cheese I figured a little more wouldn't hurt. I have a huge sage plant in my backyard, so I was able to get some nice large sage leaves to put into the roll-ups. I really wanted to make sure there was a bit of sage in each bite and sometimes the sage leaves in the store bought packages can be a bit wimpy.

After we got all of the roll-ups completed and seasoned we set them aside so we could get everything else prepped. That really didn't take very long, not as long as I thought it would after looking at the recipe, so we were in business and ready to rock and roll. We followed the timing on the recipe pretty close so everything came out yummy and warm ready to be eaten at the same time, which was my big fear. The only thing I did different was to leave the ragout over low heat while I finished the roll-ups and cooked the spinach.

Everyone LOVED this one. It was not only tasty but the roll-ups were really pretty. The cutlets were juicy and the gravy was soooo tummy. I am surprised however that anyone else got any of the mushroom and white bean ragout because I was nibbling away at it while it cooked. One of the perks about being the chef!

So with all of the votes in I really think this is one you should give a try. It is a nice meal to make when you have a couple friends over. One that will make them think you are so fancy and slaved away cooking, but it is our secret that you didn't.

see how pretty they look

my fave white wine vinegar

Turkey (Chicken) Saltimbocca Roll-Ups, Mushroom and White Bean Ragout, and Spinach with Pancetta and Onions.

Ingredients

12 turkey (chicken) cutlets

6 slices of prosciutto de Parma, cut in half

12 whole fresh sage leaves plus 2 tablespoons chopped sage

4 tablespoons EVOO plus more for drizzling

salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans

2 tablespoons wine vinegar, white or red

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 dry white wine (eyeball it)

1/8 pound (3 slices) pancetta, chopped

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 pound triple washed spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped ( I used baby spinach)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg, (eyeball it)

Using a meat mallet or heavy, small skillet, ound the turkey between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap to 1/8 inch thickness. Top each turkey cutlet with a half slice of prosciutto and a whole sage leaf. Roll up the cutlets and drizle them with EVOO, then season with salt and pepper, and poultry seasoning. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO, once around the pan. Arrange the roll-ups seam side down and cook for 6 minutes, then turn and cook for 6  minutes more.

While the turkey cooks, make the mushroom and white bean ragout. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan, then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes to deepen the color. Stir in the beans and season up the mixture with salt and pepper. When the beans heat through, in a minute or two, add the vinegar and stor, then add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat.

After the turkey roll-ups have cooked on both sides, transfer toa platter and reserve. Add the butter to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the wine and cook it for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken stock to make the gravy. Add the remaining chopped sage, then season with salt and pepper. Slide the roll-ups back into the gravy and simmer over low heat until ready to serve.

For the spinach, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, once around the pan, then the chopped pancetta. Brown the pancetta for 1 minute, then add the onions and cook together for 5 minutes, or until they are just tender and the pancetta bits are crisp. Add the spinach to the pan and turn to wilt it while combining with the onions. Season spinach with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Serve 3 roll-ups in gravy with a portion of the ragout and the spinach alongside.

Serve 4

Turkey Noodle Casserole

Before we even get started, I know some of you are groaning at just the mention of a turkey noodle casserole. I was kind of "iffy" on this one myself. The word casserole just brings back memories of tons of noodles smothered in cream of mushroom soup with some meat to go with it, usually canned tuna in my house. YIKES! Not a good image. I know that is how things were done in those days, and people didn't realize how bad canned soups were for you. But WOW those are things I just don't want to eat ever again! This recipe, thank goodness, removed those images from my head and made me gain faith in casseroles. 


I wasn't the only one that showed a lack of enthusiasm for the idea of casseroles. Pretty much everyone here felt the same way. The dialog went kind of like this, "Mom, what's for dinner?" "Turkey noodle casserole"....long pause..."Oh".....longer pause...."Really?" "Yes, why?"..pause.."Oh, just wondering". I know what they were wondering was, can I eat something else before dinner without Mom finding out and then say I am not that hungry. 


Luckily we were all pleasantly surprised. Everyone liked it, including my Dad, but I felt like the sauce could be a bit thicker. Probably a throw back to the old cream of mushroom soup days, but the sauce is more of a broth really. I might try to make a roux next time and thicken it up that way. I don't want to change the flavor, just the consistency.


This one is a keeper to me though. Fairly simple and flavorful and something I think anyone would eat, so picky eaters would be happy as well.

Turkey Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

coarse salt

1/2 pound extra wide egg noodles

1 tablespoon EVOO

3 slices bacon or turkey  bacon, chopped

1 package (about 1 1/2 pounds) ground turkey breast

1 pound white mushrooms, wiped, trimmed, and sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground thyme or poultry seasoning

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated

1 cup plain bread crumbs

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the egg noodles. When it boils, salt the water and cook the noodles al dente. Drain well and return to the pot.

Preheat a  large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO and the bacon. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the fat is rendered and the bacon begins to crisp at the edges. Add the turkey and brown it, crumbling with a wooden spoon. Move the meat over to one side of the pan and add the mushrooms and onions to the opposite side. Cook the mushrooms and onions for 3 to 5 minutes, then stir the meat and veggies together. Season the mixture liberally with salt and pepper, and sprinkle in the ground thyme or poultry seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, using the wooden spoon to scrape up the pan drippings and browned bits. Stir in the stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in the cream and reduce the heat to low. Add nutmeg and stir. taste to adjust seasonings if necessary.

Preheat the broiler to high. Combine the noodles with the turkey and sauce. Grease a casserole dish with a little softened butter. Transfer the turkey-noodle mixture to the dish and top with Gruyère cheese and then bread crumbs. Place the casserole 8 to 10 inches from the broiler and brown for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crumbs are brown. Garnish the casserole with parsley.

Serve with a green tossed salad.

Serves 4

Ground Turkey Noodle Casserole

Turkey Club Super Mashers

Happy Sunday Everyone! I have been so busy getting everything ready for my trip to Vegas I have been seriously neglecting my blogging duties. I must learn how to multitask better! I skipped a few nights of cooking from the book due to not feeling well and also working on a few of my own recipes. If you haven't already check out my other food blog Bobbi's Bitchin' Kitchen. I was a little nervous that I might be getting sick right before the trip, but I am fine and ready to go!!


This past week I only made three of the recipes. We already talked about the Spanish Style Pork Chops from last Sunday, so now we are onto recipe #107 Turkey Club Super Mashers. Again, another recipe that called for turkey cutlets, which of course I can not find. I have just given up trying to find them and instead get chicken cutlets cut a bit thicker than normal if possible. I really don't think it makes a big difference as long as you don't over cook the chicken.


This recipe went over really well. Everyone liked it and although I was a bit nervous about the potatoes with the fire roasted tomatoes in them, even my picky one liked them. She told me she likes fire roasted tomatoes now, just not raw tomatoes. OK, note taken. Seth said the potatoes had a pizza flavor to them, but Kevin and I both just felt they really did remind us of a club sandwich. I wasn't sure about the watercress since I have never had it before, but it added a nice flavor. Something different from spinach. I think arugala would be nice as well. It would give kind of a peppery kick to the potatoes.


Whatever the potatoes tasted like, we all really loved them. The chicken was so tender we didn't even need a knife to cut it! This is a great recipe, nothing fancy, but nice and satisfying.

Turkey Club Super Mashers

Ingredients

• 8 slices applewood smoked bacon
• 4 large Idaho potatoes
• salt
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 to 3 tablespoons thyme leaves, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups, stemmed and chopped watercress (1 bunch)
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped, or for extra smoky mashers, use 1 14 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
• 4 scallions, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange bacon on a slotted broiler pan and bake it for 15 minutes, or until evenly crisp. Cool, chop, and reserve.

While bacon cooks, peel the taters and cut them into small chunks. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling add salt, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the cutlets with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Add the EVOO to the skillet. Add the cutlets and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden but not firm and dry. Transfer the cutlets to a platter and cover with foil. return the skillet to the heat and melt the butter in it. Add the flour and cook together for 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken stock. Bring to a bubble and reduce the heat to simmer. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. The sauce will take about 5 minutes to become thickened gravy.

Drain the potatoes, then return them to the hot pot. Add the sour cream and start mashing. Add enough milk to get the potatoes to the desired consistency. Season the super mashers with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon, watercress, and tomatoes ("BLT") into the potatoes.

Pile up one fourth of the potatoes on each plate. Slice the cutlets and arrange on top of the potatoes. Cover the meat with pan gravy. Top the turkey club super mashers with chopped scallions and serve.

Serves 4

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiano with Warm, Fresh Grape Tomato Topping, Pesto, and Mozzarella

Hello my fine food loving friends! I woke up today in a wonderful mood. Possibly it was because there was actually a tiny bit of blue sky showing, or could it be that last nights dinner was an off the chart winner? Both help, but the latter made me so happy. I had the whole gang here last night and everyone, I mean EVERYONE, went on and on about how much they loved this meal! Jessi even went so far as to say it was two thumbs up and she wished she had three thumbs so she could really show how much she loved it.


This recipe was a bit of a pain at first though and I was wondering if I really even wanted to make it. Let me explain, I normally shop at the local Albertson's. I knew I had seen turkey breasts and turkey cutlets there in the past so I was not nervous about finding the ingredients I needed. Boy was I wrong. I went to do my shopping and could not find a package of turkey ANYTHING in the store. I also could not find a couple of things for other recipes but I will stick to just this story for now.


So off I go to the other side of town. Even though I don't live in a very large town I will still complain. I get to QFC and they don't have turkey breast anything either! Ggrrrrr why do they have to make it so difficult? I tell myself I have all week to get them so I go on with my weekly shopping, putting my quest for turkey cutlets on the back burner.


Now fast forward to yesterday, yes I waited until the last minute, and Kevin and I are back at Albertson's. I found whole turkey breasts and turkey legs, but still no cutlets. I know one of the guys that works in the butcher block so I asked what was up. He asks around. All the info I can get is they used to carry turkey cutlets, which I already knew, but for some reason they no longer do. Now I am in a pinch knowing I am scheduled to make this recipe that night. I look down and see chicken cutlets. Ok, not much difference except size really, so I grab them and we get on with the rest of our shopping.


We get home and both grab bags and put the items away. When the time comes to start dinner I go searching for the chicken cutlets and can't find them anywhere. I call Kevin to the kitchen so I can ask him if he put them somewhere, and he didn't bring them in either. He searched the car and then we both realize we had to have left them at the store. Kevin jumps in the car and heads back to Albertson's. Of course they are no longer there. Someone not only got 2 pounds of free chicken cutlets, but they got 4 1 1/2" center cut boneless pork chops too!


Poor Kevin calls me to tell me this and to ask what exactly I needed because the butcher was going to cut it for me. He picked up what we needed and headed home. He is so wonderful!


Anyway, now you can see the fiasco this recipe started out as. All of that aside, as long as you have all of your ingredients and don't leave them behind anywhere, you should be fine. This recipe is a bit more work than the last few, but it isn't really that much work, as it is so worth it!


Ok, we are on recipe #57 for those that have the book. I of course made a couple of slight changes, but not much. I sliced my grape tomatoes in half so they would cook out more and be like a sauce. It might not have been necessary, but with non tomato lovers in your family, you have to try to get tomatoes as close to sauce as possible. As it goes I really could have made them the correct way because Jessi just asked me to leave the tomatoes off of hers.


I also kept the onion, garlic, tomato topping simmering for pretty much the whole time I was cooking. I think it came out fabulous as did everyone else. Possibly the other way will give you more of a fresh tomato flavor (as the recipe suggests) but we liked it this way. Next time I may try to get the tomatoes closer to a fresh flavor.


Kevin helped as I cooked the cutlets and we ended up with a little assembly line from flouring to placing them on the cookie sheet to broil in the oven. Here is what they looked like at this point.

Don't they look good? I was so excited by this point I almost wanted to eat one before it went in the oven!

I made a simple side of asparagus and dinner was ready!! I think next time I will make my homemade pesto instead of the store bought though. Fresh just has much more flavor. 

Just looking at the picture makes me want more but Seth took the last one home with him last night. I had to make do with left over Italian Style Garlic Shrimp for lunch. Poor me right?

Turkey Cutlet Parmigiano with Warm, Fresh Grape Tomato Topping, Pesto, and Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (lighter than EVOO), plus some for shallow frying.
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs (three overflowing handfuls)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (a couple of handfuls)
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful), chopped
• 2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, red or yellow or a mix
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
• 1 cup store bought, good quality pesto sauce (the refrigerated stuff)
• 1 large ball fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated

Directions

For the grape tomato topping, preheat a medium size skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, set up the breading station for the cutlets. Place the flour in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, thoroughly beat together the eggs with a splash of water. In a third shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmigiano, and the parsley. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides and turn lightly in the flour. Thoroughly coat the cutlets in the egg and then in the breading, and add to the hot oil. Cook the cutlets in a single lasyer, in 2 batches if necessary, for 3 or 4 minutes per side, until the juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned. Remove the cooked cutlets to a plate lined with a paper towel.

To the skillet with the onions, add the grape tomatoes and white wine or stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to burst and the wine has reduced by half.

Preheat the broiler.

Arrange the cooked cutlets on a cookie sheet. Top each cutlet with a little of the warm tomato topping, top that with a little pesto, then top that with 2 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place the cookie sheet under the broiler and broil until the cheese warms and melts but has not browned. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 (very hungry people)

WOW can you believe it has been over a week now? Eight days in guys, I am so excited. I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am! I love cooking every night because I feel like I am not just cooking for my family, but I am cooking for all of you. So it is a blast. Last night was no different.


I have to admit, I have made these before, so I knew they were going to be good before I even hit the chopping board to prep. This is one of those recipes that caught me off guard. Simple, tasty, and it got my daughter to WANT me to add spinach to a meal! Now days it is not as hard to do, but when I first made this recipe about 2 years ago that was an amazing thing trust me.


When I say this recipe is easy I am not joking. It is such a nice feeling to make something that doesn't take a million ingredients and an hour to cook and have it taste really good. I wouldn't give this recipe five stars but a solid four.


You will be proud of me. I actually stuck to a recipe this time! yes, I can actually do it from time to time, I promise. Possibly the fact that I was busy creating a pasta side dish was what kept me in line. It let my creative juices flow with that.  Actually I was scrambling because I forgot to pick up something to make for a side. So I roasted some garlic with anchovy and red chili flakes in olive oil and made some pasta. Topped it with shredded parm and VIOLA a full meal! There was nothing left after I packed Kevin's lunch for the next day. It was the perfect amount for 4 people if they eat 3 meatballs each.


I would suggest you give this one a try.

Florentine Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 box frozen spinach, defrosted in the microwave
• 1 1/3 pound (1 package) ground turkey breast
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups milk, divided
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 3 handfuls
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 palm fulls
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 (10-ounce) sack shredded provolone or blend of Italian cheeses, available on dairy aisle
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Wring defrosted spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place turkey in a bowl and make a well in the middle of it. Add the spinach, all but 3 tablespoons of the onion, all of the garlic, 1 large egg, about 1/4 cup milk, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form into 12 large balls and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

While balls are in the oven, heat a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Melt butter, add remaining finely chopped onion and cook 2 minutes then whisk in flour. Cook flour 1 minute, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk and 1 cup stock. Bring liquid up to a boil then stir in shredded provolone or blended Italian cheeses. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, turn heat to lowest setting.

Place 3 balls on dinner plates and top with sauce, garnish with parsley.

Florentine Meatballs