Turkey Cutlets

I've recently discovered the key to tasty poultry is brining. It works well on pork too, but I've mostly been using it for turkey and chicken which tend to dry out once it is thoroughly cook. Basically, a brine is a salt (and sometimes sugar) solution with the liquid usually being water. The meat is then placed in the solution where it then absorbs the water as the salt relaxes the muscle structure allowing it to retain more moisture during the cooking process thereby resulting in moister end product.

WOW, I sort of felt like Alton brown for a minute---but not completely. I did not go into how there are two positively charged ions in table salt and how they interact with the positive and negative protein molecules in meat (hence the relaxing of the meat structure).

So brining is awesome and you should try it! If you only have 20 minutes, brine! It will help.

On to the turkey cutlets....

1 package turkey breast cutlets (about 1 1/2lbs 1/4-1/2 inch thick)
1/4 cup table salt
4 cups cold water
gallon size ziplock bag

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (approx 1 cup dried bread crumbs)
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil, plus olive oil for frying

Add cold water to ziplock bag and dissolve 1/4 cup salt into the water. Add turkey cutlets and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Or if you're like me and wait to the last minute to thaw your meat, you can leave your bag on the counter top for the 30 minute period to finish thawing while brining.

While waiting for my turkey, I make my bread crumbs. I take 4-5 slices of white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes then put in the food processor and pulse a few times. You may certainly use dried bread crumbs (I've used both), I prefer the taste of fresh.

Prepare 3 dredging bowls-
1 with flour
1 with 2 eggs and 1 tbsp olive oil
1 with bread crumbs

Remove the turkey from the bag and place onto an absorbant cloth or paper towels. Press firmly to remove as much water as you can then allow to air dry for 10 minutes. Once they are dry, season with pepper if you would like (we don't) and prepare to dredge.

Add oil to your pan, you're looking to have enough oil to fully cover a cutlet halfway up the side. So if your cutlets are 1/4 thick then you need a smaller amount of oil than you would need for a 1/2 thick cutlet (this would be more like a flattened chicken breast). I usually start with 1/2 cup. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until rippling begins.

Now dredge lightly. The order is flour, egg, bread crumbs. Shake off any excess flour, you want a very thin coating. Use tongs to remove cutlets from egg and bread crumbs or you will quickly find that your fingertips are unusable.

Once oil is hot, add 3-4 pieces to the pan...don't overcrowd! leave plenty of room for each edge to brown. Once you see a deep golden brown color inching up the side of the cutlet, turn it over. This should only take a minute or two for very thin cutlets.

Continue to use the oil if you do not see dark brown bits adhering to your cutlets. I usually find I can get two batches out of 1/2 cup of oil. Beyond that, the bits in the pan are burning and don't taste so good on your turkey. If you need to do more than two batches or you're working with thicker cuts of meat, pour off the oil, wipe pan clean with paper towels and start again.

Turkey Pie

Even though we weren't home for Thanksgiving and did not even have turkey on that day, my father-in-law ensured we would have turkey leftovers. God bless him! He put three plates of turkey meat in the freezer and I decided to make a turkey pie from one plate. DELISH!

I wish I could provide exact amount for you, but I was working with what I had and it was at the last minute so here are the basics.

about 3 cups of turkey meat chopped

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

dash of garlic powder

4 tbsp butter, separated

2 tbsp flour

3/4-1 cup milk

1 tsp dried thyme

1 small can of turkey gravy

pie dough for top and bottom crust (see my quiche recipe for basic dough and notes before for added touches)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pie pan or casserole with half of the pie crust dough. I added 2-3 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1/2 tsp marjoram to the flour before making the pie crust. I would have liked to add rosemary, but I was out.

Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large pan. Add onions, carrot, celery, garlic powder salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until veggies begin to become tender.

Add turkey and remaining 2 tbsp of butter.

When butter has melted, sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour over the entire mixture and stir to incorporate.

Let flour cook for 1-2 minutes without burning, then add milk and stir quickly. Add thyme and 1/2-3/4 cup gravy. You're looking for a thick consistency, but not too thick so add more gravy if necessary.

Put turkey mixture into prepared pie crust, cover with pie crust and add 4-5 slits in the top crust to vent steam.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then drop oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20-30 minutes until top crust is brown. I keep a baking stone in my oven to help ensure the center of my pie crust is not soggy and raw, but crispy and brown just like the sides.

Things I would change

My husband missed having potatoes in the pot pie. I did not. If I were making this for my husband, I would add a bit more gravy or make more sauce and add some cooked potatoes to the pie. I actually took my first bite and thought, "This is missing peas...not potatoes" I like the meatiness of the pie and that it wasn't all sauce and veggies. But if you really like sauce and veggies, adjust for your tastes. I would have probably used chicken broth if I had had it instead of the gravy. I just wanted to make sure there was plenty of flavor as turkey can be a bit bland when paired up with strong flavors like onion and celery.

Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

1/2 CUP RED OR GREEN BELL PEPPER, CHOPPED
1 TEASPOON FRESH GINGER ROOT, CHOPPED
1/2 CUP THINLY SLICED GREEN ONIONS
1 POUND GROUND TURKEY
1/2 CUP DRY BREAD CRUMBS
1 CAN (8 OUNCES) PINEAPPLE SLICES, RESERVING JUICE
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1 CUP TERIYAKI SAUCE
4 HAMBURGER BUNS

FINELY CHOP RED PEPPER AND GINGER ROOT. IN A BOWL, COMBINE RED PEPPER, GINGER ROOT, GREEN ONIONS, GROUND TURKEY, BREAD CRUMBS, 1/4 CUP PINEAPPLE JUICE AND SALT, MIX GENTLY BUT THOROUGHLY. FORM MEAT MIXTURE INTO FOUR 1/2 INCH THICK PATTIES. GRILL OVER MEDIUM COALS 10-12 MINUTES OR UNTIL MEAT IS NO LONGER PINK AND INTERNAL TEMPERATURE REACHES 165 DEGREE F. TURN BURGERS ONCE DURING COOKING. BASTE WITH TERIYAKI SAUCE USING PASTRY BRUSH THE LAST 2 MINUTES OF GRILLING. GRILL PINEAPPLE SLICES 5 MINUTES, BASTING WITH TERIYAKI SAUCE GRILL BUNS TO WARM, SERVE BURGERS ON BUNS, TOP WITH PINEAPPLE SLICE.

TO BROIL, SPRAY BROILER PAN WITH VEGETABLE OIL SPRAY. BROIL 4-6 INCHES FROM HEAT 10-12 MINUTES OR UNTIL MEAT IS NO LONGER PINK. BASTE WITH TERRIYAKI SAUCE BEFORE TURNING FIRST TIME, BASTE TOP AFTER REMOVING FROM THE OVEN.