Braised Turkey Braciole Recipes

BASIC BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey and brown the leg (and, if you're using them, wing) portions on the skin side well, 10 minutes or more; turn and cook for another 2 minutes on the skinless side. Remove to a plate and brown the breasts in the same skillet, again mostly on the skin side; remove and keep them separate.
• Heat the oven to 300, and cook the bacon or pancetta (if using) in the remaining fat in the skillet until nearly crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and herbs, in batches if necessary, until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with the bacon or pancetta to a large roasting pan, then nestle the dark meat in there, leaving room for the breasts. Add stock or water to come about one-third to halfway up the sides of the thighs.
• Roast uncovered for about 90 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure liquid levels remain sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, place the breasts in the pan, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until done. (They should register 155 on an instant-read thermometer.)
• Slice breast and thigh meat and serve on a platter with the vegetables garnished, if you like, with parsley.

BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

ROASTED AND BRAISED TURKEY WITH COGNAC GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the wings from the turkey and set aside on a baking sheet or large plate. Remove the legs and then separate the thighs from the drumsticks; place on the baking sheet. With kitchen scissors, cut along the ribs to remove the backbone from the turkey, leaving behind a full bone-in breast. (Alternatively, ask your butcher to cut the turkey into parts.)
• Sprinkle the wings, thighs and legs with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large braiser or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the wings, legs and thighs until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add to the pan 4 tablespoons of the butter, the celery, leeks and onions, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped herbs. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour, stirring until completely incorporated. Pour in the cognac and 4 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Return the seared turkey parts to the pan, skin-side up, without submerging them completely in the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, rub the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over the skin of the turkey breast. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped herbs and some salt and pepper. Place the breast on a rack over a roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
• Roast for 45 minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups chicken broth to the roasting pan and baste the turkey with the pan juices. Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes and adding more chicken broth to the pan as needed, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from the oven and transfer the breast to a cutting board. Let rest for 30 minutes, reserving pan juices.
• Remove the wings, legs and thighs from the braising liquid and arrange them on a serving platter. Carve the breast and arrange it on the platter alongside the turkey parts. Add the reserved turkey breast pan juices to the braising liquid in the braiser and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, then strain the gravy and serve.

BRAISED BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Prepare the bread stuffing by soaking the bread in milk for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk with your hands then put the bread in a clean mixing bowl. Add parsley, cheese, garlic, copacola, pine nuts, and raisins. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil to moisten and mix thoroughly.
• Set the veal on a piece of plastic wrap. Make a deep slice along the veal breast and fan open like a book. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. Using the smooth side of a mallet, gently flatten the veal until it's about 1/2-inch thick; take care not to tear. Discard the top sheet of plastic wrap; rub the surface with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the stuffing evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Place the eggs lengthwise down the center of the meat and roll up like a jellyroll log, using the plastic wrap as support. Tie the roll with kitchen string to secure.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Brown the stuffed veal roast well on all sides. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 1 hour.
• Alternatively, deglaze with red wine, then pour tomato sauce on top to cover the braciole. Cover the pan and gently simmer for about 1 hour until tender.
• To serve, remove the strings from the veal bundle and cut into 1-inch slices. Arrange on a serving platter, with or without sauce.

TURKEY BREAST BRACIOLA

Steps:

• Coarsely chop enough escarole to measure about 7 cups loosely packed and reserve remaining escarole. In a 12-inch skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. To onion add chopped escarole and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted. Stir in raisins and 1/2 cup broth and cook over high heat until most liquid is evaporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir Parmesan, pine nuts, and bread into filling.
• Put turkey on a long sheet of plastic wrap. Butterfly turkey breast: Beginning from a long side make a horizontal lengthwise cut almost but not all the way through turkey and spread turkey open to form a larger, thinner piece of meat. Top turkey with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy skillet until meat measures about 12 by 8 inches, being careful not to make any holes in it.
• Discard top sheet of plastic wrap and arrange prosciutto, overlapping slightly, in one layer over turkey. Spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of filling over prosciutto, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around and reserving any remaining filling. Beginning with a long side and using plastic wrap as a guide, roll up turkey and turn it seam side down (discard plastic wrap). Tie rolled turkey with kitchen string lengthwise and them crosswise at 1-inch intervals and season with salt and pepper.
• In a 12-inch deep skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown turkey, turning it. Add wine, remaining cup broth, and any remaining filling and braise, covered, over moderately low heat, turning turkey halfway through cooking, 35 minutes. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and cool. Strain braising liquid through a sieve into s small saucepan. Boil liquid until reduces to about 1/2 cup and skim off foam. Stir in lemon juice and cool sauce completely. Turkey and sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled separately, covered with plastic wrap.
• Discard string from turkey and cut turkey crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Shred reserved escarole and in a bowl toss with half of sauce. Arrange escarole on a platter with turkey slices and drizzle turkey with remaining sauce.