Recipe: Turkey Ballotine with Roasted Root Vegetables, Turkey Breast Ballotine, and Turkey Ballotine - Recipes for Phil.

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TURKEY BALLOTINE WITH PROSCIUTTO,
SAGE, AND ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

"The most difficult task of the Thanksgiving dinner is cooking the turkey. One part comes out perfectly while the other is dry, and it always takes so darned long. This recipe allows you to cook the turkey in about an hour and a half. The meat remains moist and evenly cooked. If you want to have dark meat too, you can use the whole turkey and roll it up in the same manner as the breast. it will take longer to cook, however."

1 boneless breast from a 10-pound turkey (about 6 pounds)
Kosher salt and ground Szechuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
12 very thin slices prosciutto
FOR THE ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES:
2 red onions, peeled and quartered (or 16 cipollini, if available, peeled and left whole)
4 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
2 turnips, peeled and cut into sixths
4 parsnips, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

TO PREPARE THE BALLOTINE:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lay out the turkey breast on a flat surface with the skin side down. Pull the fillet (the piece that is loosely attached to the center of the breast on the opposite side from the skin) toward the middle of the breast so that it lays flat. Split open the large end of the turkey breast, while still keeping it attached to the rest of the breast, and lay next to the fillets.

You should have a turkey breast that is roughly rectangular. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a mallet until the surface is even and flat. Season the flattened breast with kosher salt and Szechuan peppercorns. Sprinkle the surface with the chopped herbs.

Cover with the prosciutto. Starting with the end closest to you, roll tightly into a cylinder and tie every 2 inches with the butcher's twine. Season trhe outside with Kosher salt and Szechuan peppercorns. Place in a roasting pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until an internal temperature of 140 degrees is reached.

TO PREPARE THE ROASTED VEGETABLES:
Toss the onions, carrots, turnips, and parsnips in the oil and vinegar. After the ballotine has been cooking for 45 mintues, add the vegetables to the roasting pan.

When the ballotine and vegetables are cooked, remove them from the oven. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil.

TO SERVE:
Remove the strings from the turkey (scissors work best for this), slice, and serve with the roasted vegetables.

WINE NOTES:
To satisfy everyone's taste, it is traditional to serve both red and white wine at the Wente family Thanksgiving dinner. More importantly, it is not necessarily the turkey that you are trying to pair with the wine.

The other side dishes, gravies, and stuffing may have the stronger flavors and intensity with which the wines need to be paired.

For a white wine, we usually serve a Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend or a full-bodied Chardonnay--both providing enough flavor and weight. We generally tend toward a light to medium-bodied red wine with nice acid, balanced tannins, and rich fruit, such as a Pinot Noir or Merlot.

Whatever you choose, remember that there is no one right answer to a melting pot of traditions and flavors.

Servings: 8 to 10
Adapted from Source: Sharing the Vineyard Table: A Celebration of Wine and Food from the Wente Vineyards Restaurant by Carolyn Wente and Kimball Jones

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TURKEY BREAST BALLOTINE
(DIABETIC RECIPE)

1 4 1/4 pound (2.1 kg) fresh turkey breast
1 pound (480 g) ground lean veal
1/4 cup (60 ml) liquid egg substitute
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) kosher salt
1 2-ounce (60 g) piece lean smoked ham cut into 1/2 inch slices
bouquet garni (parsley, fresh thyme, and bay leaf tied together)
2 onions
2 whole cloves
2 carrots
1 clove garlic
4 whole peppercorns

Bone the turkey breast, scraping the meat away from the bone without breaking the skin. Place on a piece of double cheese cloth, skin side down. Place the bones in a large kettle.

Put the veal in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the egg substitute, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Process until the stuffing is smooth.

Cover the turkey breast with the veal stuffing leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) around the edges. Place the ham slices down the middle and roll up the ballottine into a tight roll length-wise in the cheese cloth. Tie the ends tightly with kitchen string, and tie the breast every 2 inches to maintain the form during cooking.

Place the ballotine in the kettle along with the bouquet garni, onions which have been stuck with the cloves, carrots, garlic, and peppercorns. Cover with 2 1/2 quarts (2 1/2 l) of water and bring to a simmer. Cover kettle and simmer for 1 hour.

When cooked through, remove from the cooking liquid and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the string and cheese cloth. Slice, removing the skin as you do so and place on a heated platter. Serve immediately.

Per 4-ounce (120 g) serving: 157 calories (11% calories from fat), 33 g protein, 2 g total fat (0.6 g saturated fat), 0 carbohydrates, 0 dietary fiber, 97 mg cholesterol, 162 mg sodium

Diabetic exchanges: 4 very lean protein

Makes 6 servings + leftovers
Adapted from Source: Diabetic Recipes

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TURKEY BALLOTINE

1 leek, green only, 4 inches long
1 large savoy cabbage leaf
boiling salted water as needed
2 oz. butternut squash puree
1 Brined Turkey Thigh

Blanch leek and cabbage leaf in boiling salted water; remove from water. Let cool; pat dry.

Split leek lengthwise; pipe butternut squash puree down center. Roll up leek; place in center of brined thigh.

Roll up thigh; place on cabbage leaf. Roll up cabbage leaf; wrap in butcher's netting. Poach at 180 degrees F for 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Remove ballotine; let cool. Refrigerate until chilled.

Servings: 8
Adapted from unknown source