Recipe Book/Festive/turkey

 

Turkey Breasts with Chestnut Stuffing wrapped in Pancetta
(Courtesy of Bookers Ltd.)

 

This dish is easy to prepare and quick to cook, with the added bonus of not having to carve the turkey on Christmas day! Serve with Bookers' Dark Harvest red wine, a medium bodied dry red wine, with lots of fruit flavours and hints of tannin in the background. Serve it slightly chilled to bring out the fruit, and it will not overpower the turkey. A match made in heaven!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4

turkey breasts

for the stuffing:

1 x 450g tin

natural chestnuts

550g (1lb 4oz)

pork sausage meat

450g (1lb)

cooking apples, finely diced

150g (6oz)

white bread crumbs

1 medium

onion finely diced

1

egg, beaten

Salt and pepper to season

Method:

Lay the turkey breasts flat on a chopping board and cut a pocket through the breast, almost to the opposite edge, making sure it is still joined.

Open up the turkey breast and put a quarter of the stuffing on the bottom half, folding the top half of the breast back over.

Smother it with softened butter then wrap pancetta slices over the whole breast ensuring it is completely sealed. Repeat the process for the last three breasts and then place them all into a well buttered oven dish, cover with foil and cook at 190° C for 45 minutes.

Serve with vegetables of your choice and baby rosemary roast potatoes, cooked in olive oil with a sprig of rosemary and a teaspoon of dry mustard powder.

Drain, then mash the chestnuts and added them to all the ingredients mixing thoroughly.

Top tip: Smother your cooked vegetables in homemade tarragon butter for an added twist. Finely chop 1 teaspoons of fresh tarragon, or use ½ teaspoon of dried tarragon. Melt 80g butter in a saucepan, mix in the tarragon, toss in the vegetables and serve.