This is a North Italian Jewish recipe; Mira Sacerdoti suggests it be served at Passover, observing, "given the time necessary to prepare this and its splendid appearance, it is a classic holiday dish." To serve a multitude:
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds (2 k) turkey breast, whole and with the skin intact
- 1 1/4 pounds (500 g) boneless veal
- Bones of the kind for making broth
- 5 ounces (150 g) chicken or turkey fat
- 1 cup pine nuts or pistachios
- 3 sprigs of parsley
- 1/2 a stalk of celery
- 1 small onion
- 1 small carrot
- 1 clove minced garlic
- A pinch grated nutmeg
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Needle & thread
- More parsley for garnishing.
Preparation:
Begin two days ahead by making the broth. Skin the turkey breast, taking care not to tear the skin, then bone it, again being careful to keep the meat in one piece. In a fairly large pot boil the turkey and beef bones, together with the carrot, parsley, onion and celery to make the broth you'll cook the meatloaf in (I'd figure 11/2-2 quarts). Once the broth is done strain it, let it cool, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. While the broth is cooking prepare the turkey loaf:
Take the turkey breast and cut it into finger-thick thick slices lengthwise. Do the same with the veal, and cut the chicken or turkey fat into finer slices.
Thread your needle.
Take the turkey skin and spread it out on your work surface with the inside up, being careful not to tear it -- to reduce the risk of subsequent tearing, lay it on top of a sheet of muslin or linen. Gently rub the skin with the garlic. Lay alternating slices of meat across half the turkey breast (leave a border of 3/4 (2 cm) of an inch), interspersing them with the fat and sprinkling the layers with the nuts, and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper.
Occasionally try folding over the other half of the skin and stop when the skin is full -- you don't want to overpack it because it could burst in the cooking. If you have left over meat, set it aside for another dish (turkey piccata comes to mind, as does chicken francese). Once you have added all the meat that will go, sew up the skin with your needle and thread, spacing the stitches closely and being careful not to pull the thread too hard and thus tear the skin. When you are done, puncture the skin of the loaf repeatedly with a slightly larger needle so it won't burst as it cooks. If you have put the sheet of muslin under the turkey pull it around the loaf and tie it tight. Put the loaf in the refrigerator, and let it sit overnight too.
The next day skim the fat that has risen to the surface of the broth, and if it has gelled, warm it gently to a very slow boil. Slip the turkey loaf into the broth and cook it for two hours.
When it is cooked, remove it from the pot (save the broth for soup), let it cool, unwrap it if you have wrapped it, and transfer it to the flat-bottomed deep dish. Weight it down as described above, and chill it thoroughly -- overnight would be ideal. The next day carefully turn it out onto a cutting board because the skin will be very delicate, remove any traces of broth or fat, and slice it into half-inch (1 cm) thick slices. Place them on a platter, and garnish them with sprigs of parsley.
Take the turkey breast and cut it into finger-thick thick slices lengthwise. Do the same with the veal, and cut the chicken or turkey fat into finer slices.
Thread your needle.
Take the turkey skin and spread it out on your work surface with the inside up, being careful not to tear it -- to reduce the risk of subsequent tearing, lay it on top of a sheet of muslin or linen. Gently rub the skin with the garlic. Lay alternating slices of meat across half the turkey breast (leave a border of 3/4 (2 cm) of an inch), interspersing them with the fat and sprinkling the layers with the nuts, and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper.
Occasionally try folding over the other half of the skin and stop when the skin is full -- you don't want to overpack it because it could burst in the cooking. If you have left over meat, set it aside for another dish (turkey piccata comes to mind, as does chicken francese). Once you have added all the meat that will go, sew up the skin with your needle and thread, spacing the stitches closely and being careful not to pull the thread too hard and thus tear the skin. When you are done, puncture the skin of the loaf repeatedly with a slightly larger needle so it won't burst as it cooks. If you have put the sheet of muslin under the turkey pull it around the loaf and tie it tight. Put the loaf in the refrigerator, and let it sit overnight too.
The next day skim the fat that has risen to the surface of the broth, and if it has gelled, warm it gently to a very slow boil. Slip the turkey loaf into the broth and cook it for two hours.
When it is cooked, remove it from the pot (save the broth for soup), let it cool, unwrap it if you have wrapped it, and transfer it to the flat-bottomed deep dish. Weight it down as described above, and chill it thoroughly -- overnight would be ideal. The next day carefully turn it out onto a cutting board because the skin will be very delicate, remove any traces of broth or fat, and slice it into half-inch (1 cm) thick slices. Place them on a platter, and garnish them with sprigs of parsley.
