The Australian Women's Weekly

Herb-brined turkey breast in pancetta

SERVES 10 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 35 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERAT­ION AND STANDING TIME)

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2 x 1.5kg turkey breast fillets, skin on 350g drained pitted green Sicilian olives 100g butter, softened

1 cup (100g) fresh breadcrumb­s 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

¼ cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted

300g thin long pancetta slices

¼ cup (90g) honey

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock HERB BRINE

2 cups (500ml) white wine ½ cup (110g) raw sugar ¼ cup (65g) fine sea salt

6 fresh thyme sprigs

3 fresh bay leaves

1 tablespoon black peppercorn­s

1 HERB BRINE Place 2 cups (500ml) water, wine, sugar, salt, herbs and peppercorn­s in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring, until sugar and salt dissolve. Transfer liquid to a large non-reactive container (6-litre/24-cup capacity); stir in

1 litre (4 cups) cold water.

2 Add turkey breasts to brine; cover and refrigerat­e for 3 hours.

3 Pulse olives, butter, breadcrumb­s, rind and pine nuts in a small food processor to a coarse mixture. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

4 Remove turkey from brine; pat dry. Discard brine. Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin from flesh of turkey breasts; push olive mixture under skin. Press filling between skin and flesh to spread evenly.

5 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fanforced). Place a wire rack in a large shallow flame-proof roasting pan.

6 Lay half the pancetta slices slightly overlappin­g on a large piece of plastic wrap on a work bench. Place turkey breast, skin-side down, on pancetta; wrap pancetta around turkey, using plastic wrap to secure. Repeat process with remaining turkey and pancetta.

7 Remove plastic wrap; tie turkey breasts with kitchen string at

2cm intervals.

8 Place turkey, skin-side up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast turkey for 1 hour or until internal temperatur­e reaches 74°C on a meat thermomete­r or when the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted sideways into the thickest part of the breast. Cover loosely with foil if turkey is over-browning.

9 Transfer turkey to a plate; brush pancetta with honey. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, skim fat from roasting pan. Place pan over medium heat; stir in stock, scraping any browned pieces from base of pan. Simmer for 10 minutes until reduced; transfer to a jug

10 Slice turkey; serve with gravy.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

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