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Turkey Cutlets with Sage, Lemon, and Wine

Source of Recipe

From "Essentials of Southern Cooking" by Damon Lee Fowler


Recipe Introduction

"This is a very old recipe from the Carolina Lowcountry; while it looks startlingly like an Italian dish and has undeniably European roots, it has been a part of Carolina cookery for the better part of two centuries. The original recipe used veal scallops, but it's an excellent way of preparing turkey. Etymology and history aside, the heady combination of sage, lemon, and white wine was just made for turkey."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1½ pounds turkey breast cutlets or veal cutlets, cut ½ inch thick
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage
â—¦ Grated zest of 1 lemon
â—¦ Whole nutmeg in a grater
â—¦ Salt and whole black pepper in a pepper mill
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 tablespoon olive oil
â—¦ 1 whole clove garlic, crushed and peeled, but left whole
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour, spread on a shallow bowl or dinner plate
â—¦ 2 tablespoons minced shallot or yellow onion
â—¦ 1 cup dry white wine


Recipe

Put the cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap or two flexible cutting boards on a sturdy, flat work surface and lightly pound them with a mallet or scaloppine pounder until they are a uniform thickness of about â…› inch. Sprinkle them evenly with the sage and zest, and season generously with nutmeg, salt, and a liberal grinding of pepper.

Put the butter, oil, and garlic in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the garlic is colored pale gold, then roll the cutlets in the flour, shake off the excess, and add them to the pan. Sauté, turning once, until lightly browned and just barely cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove them to a warm platter.

Add the shallot to the pan and sauté until pale gold. Add the wine, stirring and scraping the pan to loosen any cooking residue, bring to a boil, and boil until it's reduced by half. Return the cutlets to the pan and turn them once or twice in the sauce until they are lightly coated and just warmed again. Transfer back to the platter, pour the sauce over them, and serve at once.


Serves 4