Make More, Buy Less

When it comes to the sweet/salty debate, I fall wholly on the side of Sodium Chloride. So last week when I tried making the Turkey Saltimbocca from Family Meals (a gorgeous cookbook I got for Christmas from my wonderful godsister Jen), I knew I was going to like it.  With prosciutto as a main ingredient, what’s not to love?

Serves 4-6

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

6 turkey cutlets, about 1/4 pound each and no more than 1/2-inch thick

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into narrow strips

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1/2 cup dry white wine

{I served the dish with easy-peasy roasted petite brussel sprouts}

PREHEAT the oven to 350 degrees. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Season the cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper, and then coat both sides with the flour and tap off the excess.  Place on a plate.

HEAT a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When it begins to brown, add the oil and then add the cutlets. Cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a warmed platter. (I did this step twice — only four cutlets fit in my pan at one time.)

PLACE the pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter begins to brown, add the prosciutto and chopped sage and sauté until the prosciutto is puckered and golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine, bring to a boil, stir, and boil for 1-2 minutes to reduce slightly. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter off the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the cutlets and serve right away.

The verdict for this dish lies squarely in the reaction from our 5-year-old picky eater (who loves bacon, doesn’t eat chicken unless we call it turkey, and hasn’t eaten anything green except for pesto pasta since he was 12 months old): upon his first bite, he proclaimed “OH MOMMY!  This is SOOOO good!”

Made this non-chef smile ear-to-ear.