Latin-style turkey roll
0
- Makes1 Servings
Ingredients
2 cups grated mozzarella, or Monterey Jack
3 green onions
3 whole roasted red peppers, storebought or homemade
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, or 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
3 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapenos
680 to 900 g boneless rolled turkey breast, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs
butcher's string
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
generous pinch salt
fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cumin
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Grate cheese using large holes on a box grater. Place in a medium-size bowl. Thinly slice green onions. Pat roasted peppers dry with paper towels. Slice into thick strips. Finely chop jalapeños. Coarsely chop coriander. Stir all into cheese until evenly mixed.
If there is netting around turkey breast, discard. Place turkey, skin side down, on a cutting board or piece of waxed paper and unroll. For turkey to be re-rolled easily, it should be roughly rectangular and of even thickness. To even out thickness, cut slits into thick parts of turkey, then open up like a book. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, then lightly pound thick parts with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy pan until about the same thickness. Excessive pounding will toughen turkey.
Using your hands, mound cheese mixture close to edge of one short end of breast. Starting with short end, tightly roll turkey into a log. It's OK if some of filling spills out. Gently pack back into openings at each end, if possible. Tie with butcher's string. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Brush with oil, then sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper.
Roast, uncovered, in centre of preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat reads 160F (70C). This will take 55 to 65 minutes, depending on thickness of roll. Remove from oven. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Remove string. Thickly slice. Delicious warm, at room temperature or chilled. Arrange slices on a large platter. Surround with slices of tomato and avocado. Drizzle Sour Cream Sauce (see recipe, below) over turkey slices, if you like. If not serving right away, refrigerate warm unsliced roll. When cold, wrap roll in plastic and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 282, Protein 33g, Carbohydrates 3g, Fat 16g, Fibre 1g, Sodium 297mg.
With a colourful Mexican filling, this is like a healthy low-carb fajita - it's loaded with peppers, cheese and coriander. Make it a day before and you'll see it tastes even better after overnight refrigeration. Double the recipe for a big crowd.
Shopping Tip:
If you can't find a 2-lb (1-kg) boneless, rolled turkey breast in the supermarket, ask your butcher to cut one or use 2 (1- to 1-1/2-lb/500- to 750-g) rolled breasts instead.
Sour Cream Sauce:
In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream with 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin. Sauce will keep well, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated, up to 2 days.
Packed To Go:
Place plastic-wrapped, unsliced turkey roll in a plastic bag. Keep cold. If you want to take sliced tomatoes, place in a plastic bag. Just before packing, slice avocado and place in a plastic container. Squeeze a little lemon juice overtop and turn slices to coat. Seal sauce in a small plastic container. Slice turkey roll just before serving.