What Makes Turkey Terrific?

Turkey gets a great deal of attention around the holidays as standard fare in many homes and restaurants. What better time to talk about all the health benefits of eating this nutrient-rich food! Fresh turkey meat tastes great when roasted and it provides our bodies with much-needed lysine, selenium, and vitamin B12.

Lysine is an essential amino acid that our bodies use to build muscle, absorb calcium, and produce hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. Selenium is a trace mineral with anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting, and disease-preventing properties. Vitamin B12 is used by every cell in our body to make energy. If you have too little B12, you may experience depression, central nervous system problems, and anemia.

For a variation on the traditional turkey dinner, here is my recipe for Stuffed Turkey Rolls. I take skinless turkey cutlets and roll them up around my homemade Savory Stuffing. I first soak the turkey in a red-wine and Worcestershire marinade so that when the turkey rolls cook, they create their own delicious sauce. It’s a dish that’s fancy enough to put on a holiday table for two.

Stuffed Turkey Rolls

SERVES 6

¼ cup soy sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
2 Tbs. red wine
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
6 turkey cutlets or butterflied turkey breasts
1 recipe Savory Stuffing (or 2 to 3 cups of your favorite stuffing)
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil

1. To make the marinade, combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, red wine, salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag.
2. Add the turkey cutlets to the bag. Squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Remove cutlets, reserving the marinade. Pat each cutlet dry with paper towels.
4. On a work surface, lay one cutlet so it slightly overlaps a second one. Pound the seam\ together with a mallet. You should have one fairly large, thin turkey round. Repeat with the remaining cutlets until you have 3 rounds.
5. Spread about 1⁄2 cup of stuffing evenly onto each turkey round, smoothing almost to the edge. Roll up the turkey, pinwheel style, and secure with kitchen twine.
6. Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey rolls and sear until a golden crust develops, about 1–2 minutes per side.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place turkey rolls in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Spoon the reserved marinade and any remaining stuffing around the rolls. Cover with foil and bake until the turkey is cooked through, about 20–30 minutes.
8. Before serving, remove the twine and cut each turkey roll into 5 slices.

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