A good friend of mine from university has just started reading this blog and got in touch the other day asking if I had time for lunch.
I asked her where she wanted to go. She replied that since I was such world-class cook now, didn't I have something ready to go.
I didn't.
She had to join me on what turned out to be a very long mission to the grocery store, but everything finally came together.
I think I've written about my love and adoration for Suzanne Somers, and this recipe is the root of that love. During my leave, I've watched some (thrilling) daytime TV and caught a segment where Suzanne cooked the most magnificent and simple dish. It has become a standby favourite for the Captain and I. It's a nice quick, but tasty meal and I've already impressed my parents with it. I thought it would be a good choice to treat my friend with. Once I decided that was what we were having, my mind was set.
I had lots of yummy fruits and veggies around the house, so I knew I could whip together a fancy salad. I also knew that my guest would actually eat said salad, unlike Captain Handsome, so that was exciting.
I thought we'd make a quick pop by to the grocery store and pick up some turkey breasts, prosciutto and fresh basil and then head home and whip up lunch. It didn't quite work out that way.
I don't know if you use turkey breasts to cook with, but at my nearby grocery store, they're a rare commodity. Whenever I find them in the butcher section, hiding amongst the chicken breasts, I hoard them and subsequently freeze them at home. As it turns out, thawing some out would have been faster in this case.
Getting the prosciutto was no problem, I just needed four super thin slices.
There were, predictably, no turkey breasts in the butcher section, nor were there any hiding in the back (I asked). The butcher recommended I head a few aisles over to the Kosher section. Brilliant. Searching through their cases, I realized that there were no turkey breasts there, either.
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| Party in the Kosher Butcher! |
Luckily, the Kosher butcher section is the party section of the grocery store and the employees (especially the guy with the hair-netted beard) were happy to help. It is a happening place in there. There were several employees, all having a great time. I kind of wish I worked there. If it weren't for the religious thing and the having to chop up meat thing, I'd be great.
They had some bone-in skin-on turkey breasts hiding in the back and were more than willing to de-bone and skin some for me. It
is party-time there, but it wasn't particularly fast. 25 minutes later, my friend had bought her fiancee his birthday present, wandered through the entire grocery store, selected a perfectly ripe avocado and I had played a few rounds of Draw Something and we finally got our beautiful breasts (full turkey breasts are enormous, by the way!).
Is it totally lame or culturally respectful that I was embarrassed in the Kosher butcher to have prosciutto and hid the forbidden ham product under a Passover brochure?
After nearly an hour, I think I would have been faster to thaw some turkey out at home after all.
We finally got home and I whipped together the meal. It was a big hit and I even had leftovers that I had on a salad the next day. This meal never fails to impress. We had just enough time to load the dishwasher and I had to run out to a doctor's appointment.
Now, what you've been waiting for...the recipe.
Prosciutto Basil Turkey with Red Wine Glaze
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| A sneak preview of the finished meal, all plated and ready to go. |
Ingredients:
4 slices boneless skinless turkey breast - sliced thin (if you can get it pre-cut into scallopini, that's my favourite) (approx. 1-1.5 oz per slice)
4 slices thinly sliced prosciutto ham
16 leaves fresh basil (Suzanne Somers does her recipe with sage, but we prefer the taste of basil)
4 tbsp butter
1/2 c red wine
Fresh ground sea salt and pepper
Process:
-Layer each slice of turkey with 4 leaves of basil, season with salt and pepper and top with one slice of prosciutto
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| Gratuitous raw meat shot. You can't get salmonella through the computer monitor, don't worry. |
-heat 1 tbsp of butter in pan on stovetop at med heat
-when butter is hot, place meat (turkey side down) into pan, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side (your turkey should be so thin that it cooks very quickly. If it's a little thicker, just check it by cutting into it. No part of the turkey should be pink. That's poultry poison!)
-Leave the delicious drippings in the pan!
-Place the meat somewhere it will stay warm for a few minutes (I usually turn on my oven to "Warm and Hold", and plate the meat, then store it in there while I'm making the sauce, this also makes the plates toasty warm!)
-Add the remaining butter and red wine to the pan, increase heat to high, stir frequently until it reduces (about 5-8 minutes)
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| Bubbling butter and wine. It took Suzanne to teach me how simple it is to make such a delicious sauce! |
-Serve turkey with prosciutto side up, with about 1 tbsp of sauce on top
Serves 3-4
Nutritional Information:
(per serving)
Calories: 210
Carbs: 2
Fat: 13 g
Protein: 15 g
Fibre: 1 g
Sugar: 0 g
I served this with a huge salad, topped with fabulous cheese crisps, which are the most magnificent and simple low-carb snack (and substitute for crutons in a salad or crackers in dips)
Cheese Crisps
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| The cheese crisps are ready for their close up. Actually, they're ready for the microwave. These are not my most beautiful shaped cheese crisps, they're a little uneven around the edges. I usually strive for a more circular crisp. |
Ingredients:
2 tbsp grated Asiago cheese
Process:
-Place parchment paper (my new best friend) on top of microwave safe plate
-make 1/2 tbsp piles of cheese in four corners of paper
-lay cheese out flat (make sure there is not a heap in the middle and that the cheese is of a relatively regular thickness)
-cook in microwave for 30-45 seconds or until cheese is well melted and bubbly, and slightly orange
-cool on a plate until cheese crisps harden
-you may need to test this in your microwave a few times until you know exactly how strong your microwave's power is and how long it takes to perfectly crisp your cheese
-I have experimented with lots of types of cheese and sizes of cheese crisps, but the taste and consistency of the Asiago is my favourite so far, it also looks pretty and lacy and snazzes up any dish
-makes 4 small crisps
Nutritional Information:
(per Cheese Crisp)
Calories: 9
Carbs: 0 g
Fat: 1 g
Protein: 1 g
Fibre: 0 g
Sugar: 0g
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| Our lovely, lovely lunch. You get to see the finished cheese crisps' colour here. |
Yum or Not:
I served this with a big salad, topped with some leftover prosciutto, the cheese crisps and a homemade vinaigrette, asparagus and a glass of red wine (really tasty stuff called Longue Dog that Matt bought based on the picture of the long dog on the bottle).
This meal has become a reliable standby and I am always proud to serve it and happy to gobble it. It has gotten a consistent reaction of yums from everyone who has tried it. Sometimes I prepare a meal and it takes so long to get it ready that by the time I put it on my own plate, I can't even tell if I really like it or if I'm just relieved the process is over. For this, I always know it's just plain delicious. It tastes so good, I can't even believe how good it is for me.
The meal was a hit with my friend and she was impressed with my new and improved cooking skills.
This meal made me fall head over heels in love with Suzanne Somers.
